Systems and methods for managing mobility of users in a network of moving things at the edge

ABSTRACT

Communication network architectures, systems and methods for supporting a network of mobile nodes. As a non-limiting example, various aspects of this disclosure provide communication network architectures, systems, and methods for supporting a dynamically configurable communication network comprising a complex array of both static and moving communication nodes that maintain connectivity support for mobility of end-user devices.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This patent application makes reference to, claims priority to, andclaims benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.62/326,277, filed on Apr. 22, 2016, and titled “Systems and Methods forManaging Mobility of Users in a Network of Moving Things at the Edge,”which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Thepresent application is also related to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/221,997, titled “Integrated Communication Network for a Networkof Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 62/222,016, titled “Systems and Methods for Synchronizing aNetwork of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22, 2015; U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/222,042, titled “Systems and Methods forManaging a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22, 2015; U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,066, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Monitoring a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22, 2015; U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,077, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Detecting and Classifying Anomalies in a Network of Moving Things,”filed on Sep. 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/222,098, titled “Systems and Methods for Managing Mobility in aNetwork of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22, 2015; U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/222,121, titled “Systems and Methods forManaging Connectivity a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22,2015; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,135, titled “Systemsand Methods for Collecting Sensor Data in a Network of Moving Things,”filed on Sep. 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/222,145, titled “Systems and Methods for Interfacing with a Networkof Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 62/222,150, titled “Systems and Methods for Interfacing with aUser of a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22, 2015; U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,168, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Data Storage and Processing for a Network of Moving Things,” filedon Sep. 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,183,titled “Systems and Methods for Vehicle Traffic Management in a Networkof Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 62/222,186, titled “Systems and Methods for EnvironmentalManagement in a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22, 2015; U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,190, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Port Management in a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22,2015; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/222,192, titled“Communication Network of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22, 2015; U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/244,828, titled “UtilizingHistorical Data to Correct GPS Data in a Network of Moving Things,”filed on Oct. 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/244,930, titled “Using Anchors to Correct GPS Data in a Network ofMoving Things,” filed on Oct. 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 62/246,368, titled “Systems and Methods for Inter-ApplicationCommunication in a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Oct. 26, 2015;U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/246,372, titled “Systems andMethods for Probing and Validating Communication in a Network of MovingThings,” filed on Oct. 26, 2015; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/250,544, titled “Adaptive Rate Control for Vehicular Networks,” filedon Nov. 4, 2015; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/273,878,titled “Systems and Methods for Reconfiguring and Adapting Hardware in aNetwork of Moving Things,” filed on Dec. 31, 2015; U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/253,249, titled “Systems and Methods forOptimizing Data Gathering in a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Nov.10, 2015; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/257,421, titled“Systems and Methods for Delay Tolerant Networking in a Network ofMoving Things,” filed on Nov. 19, 2015; U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 62/265,267, titled “Systems and Methods for Improving Coverageand Throughput of Mobile Access Points in a Network of Moving Things,”filed on Dec. 9, 2015; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/270,858,titled “Channel Coordination in a Network of Moving Things,” filed onDec. 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/257,854, titled“Systems and Methods for Network Coded Mesh Networking in a Network ofMoving Things,” filed on Nov. 20, 2015; U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 62/260,749, titled “Systems and Methods for Improving FixedAccess Point Coverage in a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Nov. 30,2015; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/273,715, titled “Systemsand Methods for Managing Mobility Controllers and Their NetworkInteractions in a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Dec. 31, 2015;U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/281,432, titled “Systems andMethods for Managing and Triggering Handovers of Mobile Access Points ina Network of Moving Things,” filed on Jan. 21, 2016; U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/268,188, titled “Captive Portal-related Controland Management in a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Dec. 16, 2015;U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/270,678, titled “Systems andMethods to Extrapolate High-Value Data from a Network of Moving Things,”filed on Dec. 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/272,750, titled “Systems and Methods for Remote Software Update andDistribution in a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Dec. 30, 2015;U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/278,662, titled “Systems andMethods for Remote Configuration Update and Distribution in a Network ofMoving Things,” filed on Jan. 14, 2016; U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 62/286,243, titled “Systems and Methods for Adapting a Networkof Moving Things Based on User Feedback,” filed on Jan. 22, 2016; U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/278,764, titled “Systems and Methodsto Guarantee Data Integrity When Building Data Analytics in a Network ofMoving Things,” Jan. 14, 2016; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/286,515, titled “Systems and Methods for Self-Initialization andAutomated Bootstrapping of Mobile Access Points in a Network of MovingThings,” filed on Jan. 25, 2016; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/295,602, titled “Systems and Methods for Power Management in aNetwork of Moving Things,” filed on Feb. 16, 2016; U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/299,269, titled “Systems and Methods forAutomating and Easing the Installation and Setup of the InfrastructureSupporting a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Feb. 24, 2016; and U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/326,267, titled Systems and Methodsfor Managing Mobility of Users in Network of Moving Things at theBackhaul,” filed on Apr. 22, 2016; each of which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Current communication networks are unable to adequately supportcommunication environments involving mobile and static nodes. As anon-limiting example, current communication networks are unable toadequately support a network comprising a complex array of both movingand static nodes (e.g., the Internet of moving things, autonomousvehicle networks, etc.). Limitations and disadvantages of conventionalmethods and systems will become apparent to one of skill in the art,through comparison of such approaches with some aspects of the presentmethods and systems set forth in the remainder of this disclosure withreference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a communication network, in accordancewith various aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a communication network, in accordancewith various aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a diagram of a metropolitan area network, in accordancewith various aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a communication network, in accordancewith various aspects of this disclosure.

FIGS. 5A-5C show a plurality of network configurations illustrating theflexibility and/or and resiliency of a communication network, inaccordance with various aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an example communication network, inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the functional elements of anexample network controller (NC), in accordance with various aspects ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram illustrating the functional elements of anexample mobile access point (MAP), in accordance with various aspects ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates a handover of an end-user device in a wirelessnetwork having mobile access points MAP 1 and MAP 2 that broadcast asingle, shared SSID, but that use a separate BSSID to individuallyidentify each of the MAP 1 and the MAP 2, in accordance with variousaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a handover of an end-user device in a wirelessnetwork using a shared SSID, and a shared BSSID used to identify each oftwo mobile access points MAP 1 and MAP 2, in accordance with variousaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates a network in which a MAP 1 determines that a firstwireless connection between the MAP 1 and an end-user device (e.g., aWi-Fi link) has deteriorated to a level of quality that isunsatisfactory, in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of an example network in which a MAP 1 hasdetermined that a MAP 2, having a certain reported received signalquality for end-user device 1230 in wireless coverage area, is the mostsuitable AP to provide a wireless connection for the end-user device, inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is an illustration of an example network in which a MAP 1 hasdetermined that a MAP 2, having a certain reported received signalquality for end-user device in wireless coverage area, is the mostsuitable AP to provide a wireless connection for the end-user device, inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is an illustration of an example network having three accesspoints MAP 1, MAP 2, and MAP 3 that employ a shared SSID and aper-end-user-device BSSID, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 15 is an illustration of an end-user device located within therespective coverage areas of two access points MAP1 and MAP 2, inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 16A-16B illustrate an example method of operating an access point,in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

Various aspects of this disclosure provide communication networkarchitectures, systems and methods for supporting a network of mobileand/or static nodes. As a non-limiting example, various aspects of thisdisclosure provide communication network architectures, systems, andmethods for supporting a dynamically configurable communication networkcomprising a complex array of both static and moving communication nodes(e.g., the Internet of moving things, autonomous vehicle networks,etc.). For example, a communication network implemented in accordancewith various aspects of the present disclosure may operate in one of aplurality of modalities comprising various fixed nodes, mobile nodes,and/or a combination thereof, which are selectable to achieve any of avariety of system goals. Such a network of moving things supportsmanagement of mobility of end-users.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE

As utilized herein the terms “circuits” and “circuitry” refer tophysical electronic components (i.e., hardware) and any software and/orfirmware (“code”) that may configure the hardware, be executed by thehardware, and or otherwise be associated with the hardware. As usedherein, for example, a particular processor and memory (e.g., a volatileor non-volatile memory device, a general computer-readable medium, etc.)may comprise a first “circuit” when executing a first one or more linesof code and may comprise a second “circuit” when executing a second oneor more lines of code. Additionally, a circuit may comprise analogand/or digital circuitry. Such circuitry may, for example, operate onanalog and/or digital signals. It should be understood that a circuitmay be in a single device or chip, on a single motherboard, in a singlechassis, in a plurality of enclosures at a single geographical location,in a plurality of enclosures distributed over a plurality ofgeographical locations, etc. Similarly, the term “module” may, forexample, refer to a physical electronic components (i.e., hardware) andany software and/or firmware (“code”) that may configure the hardware,be executed by the hardware, and or otherwise be associated with thehardware.

As utilized herein, circuitry is “operable” to perform a functionwhenever the circuitry comprises the necessary hardware and code (if anyis necessary) to perform the function, regardless of whether performanceof the function is disabled, or not enabled (e.g., by auser-configurable setting, factory setting or trim, etc.).

As utilized herein, “and/or” means any one or more of the items in thelist joined by “and/or”. As an example, “x and/or y” means any elementof the three-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. That is, “x and/or y” means“one or both of x and y.” As another example, “x, y, and/or z” means anyelement of the seven-element set {(x), (y), (z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z),(x, y, z)}. That is, “x, y, and/or z” means “one or more of x, y, andz.” As utilized herein, the terms “e.g.,” and “for example,”“exemplary,” and the like set off lists of one or more non-limitingexamples, instances, or illustrations.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexamples only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. Asused herein, the singular forms are intended to include the plural formsas well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will befurther understood that the terms “comprises,” “includes,” “comprising,”“including,” “has,” “have,” “having,” and the like when used in thisspecification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. maybe used herein to describe various elements, these elements should notbe limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish oneelement from another element. Thus, for example, a first element, afirst component or a first section discussed below could be termed asecond element, a second component or a second section without departingfrom the teachings of the present disclosure. Similarly, various spatialterms, such as “upper,” “lower,” “side,” and the like, may be used indistinguishing one element from another element in a relative manner. Itshould be understood, however, that components may be oriented indifferent manners, for example an electronic device may be turnedsideways so that its “top” surface is facing horizontally and its “side”surface is facing vertically, without departing from the teachings ofthe present disclosure.

With the proliferation of the mobile and/or static things (e.g.,devices, machines, people, etc.) and logistics for such things to becomeconnected to each other (e.g., in the contexts of smart logistics,transportation, environmental sensing, etc.), a platform that is forexample always-on, robust, scalable and secure that is capable ofproviding connectivity, services and Internet access to such things (orobjects), anywhere and anytime is desirable. Efficient power utilizationwithin the various components of such system is also desirable.

Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure provide afully-operable, always-on, responsive, robust, scalable, secureplatform/system/architecture to provide connectivity, services andInternet access to all mobile things and/or static things (e.g.,devices, machines, people, access points, end user devices, sensors,etc.) anywhere and anytime, while operating in an energy-efficientmanner.

Various aspects of the present disclosure provide a platform that isflexibly configurable and adaptable to the various requirements,features, and needs of different environments, where each environmentmay be characterized by a respective level of mobility and density ofmobile and/or static things, and the number and/or types of access tothose things. Characteristics of various environments may, for example,include high mobility of nodes (e.g., causing contacts or connections tobe volatile), high number of neighbors, high number of connected mobileusers, mobile access points, availability of multiple networks andtechnologies (e.g., sometimes within a same area), etc. For example, themode of operation of the platform may be flexibly adapted fromenvironment to environment, based on each environment's respectiverequirements and needs, which may be different from other environments.Additionally for example, the platform may be flexibly optimized (e.g.,at design/installation time and/or in real-time) for different purposes(e.g., to reduce the latency, increase throughput, reduce powerconsumption, load balance, increase reliability, make more robust withregard to failures or other disturbances, etc.), for example based onthe content, service or data that the platform provides or handleswithin a particular environment.

In accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, manycontrol and management services (e.g., mobility, security, routing,etc.) are provided on top of the platform (e.g., directly, using controloverlays, using containers, etc.), such services being compatible withthe services currently deployed on top of the Internet or othercommunication network(s).

The communication network (or platform), in whole or in part, may forexample be operated in public and/or private modes of operation, forexample depending on the use case. The platform may, for example,operate in a public or private mode of operation, depending on theuse-case (e.g., public Internet access, municipal environment sensing,fleet operation, etc.).

Additionally for example, in an implementation in which various networkcomponents are mobile, the transportation and/or signal controlmechanisms may be adapted to serve the needs of the particularimplementation. Also for example, wireless transmission power and/orrate may be adapted (e.g., to mitigate interference, to reduce powerconsumption, to extend the life of network components, etc.

Various example implementations of a platform, in accordance withvarious aspects of the present disclosure, are capable of connectingdifferent subsystems, even when various other subsystems that maynormally be utilized are unavailable. For example, the platform maycomprise various built-in redundancies and fail-recovery mechanisms. Forexample, the platform may comprise a self-healing capability,self-configuration capability, self-adaptation capability, etc. Theprotocols and functions of the platform may, for example, be prepared tobe autonomously and smoothly configured and adapted to the requirementsand features of different environments characterized by different levelsof mobility and density of things (or objects), the number/types ofaccess to those things. For example, various aspects of the platform maygather context parameters that can influence any or all decisions. Suchparameters may, for example, be derived locally, gathered from aneighborhood, fixed APs, the Cloud, etc. Various aspects of the platformmay also, for example, ask for historical information to feed any of thedecisions, where such information can be derived from historical data,from surveys, from simulators, etc. Various aspects of the platform mayadditionally, for example, probe or monitor decisions made throughoutthe network, for example to evaluate the network and/or the decisionsthemselves in real-time. Various aspects of the platform may further,for example, enforce the decisions in the network (e.g., afterevaluating the probing results). Various aspects of the platform may,for example, establish thresholds to avoid any decision that is to beconstantly or repeatedly performed without any significant advantage(e.g., technology change, certificate change, IP change, etc.). Variousaspects of the platform may also, for example, learn locally (e.g., withthe decisions performed) and dynamically update the decisions.

In addition to (or instead of) failure robustness, a platform mayutilize multiple connections (or pathways) that exist between distinctsub-systems or elements within the same sub-system, to increase therobustness and/or load-balancing of the system.

The following discussion will present examples of the functionalityperformed by various example subsystems of the communication network. Itshould be understood that the example functionality discussed hereinneed not be performed by the particular example subsystem or by a singlesubsystem. For example, the subsystems present herein may interact witheach other, and data or control services may be deployed either in acentralized way, or having their functionalities distributed among thedifferent subsystems, for example leveraging the cooperation between theelements of each subsystem.

Various aspects of the present disclosure provide a communicationnetwork (e.g., a city-wide vehicular network, a shipping port-sizedvehicular network, a campus-wide vehicular network, etc.) that utilizesvehicles (e.g., automobiles, buses, trucks, boats, forklifts,human-operated vehicles, autonomous and/or remote controlled vehicles,etc.) as Wi-Fi hotspots. Note that Wi-Fi is generally used throughoutthis discussion as an example, but the scope of various aspects of thisdisclosure is not limited thereto. For example, other wireless LANtechnologies, PAN technologies, MAN technologies, etc., may be utilized.Such utilization may, for example, provide cost-effective ways to gathersubstantial amounts of urban data, and provide for the efficientoffloading of traffic from congested cellular networks (or othernetworks). In controlled areas (e.g., ports, harbors, etc.) with manyvehicles, a communication network in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure may expand the wireless coverage of existing enterpriseWi-Fi networks, for example providing for real-time communication withvehicle drivers (e.g., human, computer-controlled, etc.) and othermobile employees without the need for SIM cards or cellular (or othernetwork) data plans.

Vehicles may have many advantageous characteristics that make themuseful as Wi-Fi (or general wireless) hotspots. For example, vehiclesgenerally have at least one battery, vehicles are generally denselyspread over the city at street level and/or they are able to establishmany contacts with each other in a controlled space, and vehicles cancommunicate with 10× the range of normal Wi-Fi in the 5.9 GHz frequencyband, reserved for intelligent transportation systems in the EU, theU.S., and elsewhere. Note that the scope of this disclosure is notlimited to such 5.9 GHz wireless communication. Further, vehicles areable to effectively expand their coverage area into a swath over aperiod of time, enabling a single vehicle access point to interact withsubstantially more data sources over the period of time.

In accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, anaffordable multi-network on-board unit (OBU) is presented. Note that theOBU may also be referred to herein as a mobile access point, Mobile AP,MAP, etc. The OBU may, for example, comprise a plurality of networkinginterfaces (e.g., Wi-Fi, 802.11p, 4G, Bluetooth, UWB, etc.). The OBUmay, for example, be readily installed in or on private and/or publicvehicles (e.g., individual user vehicles, vehicles of private fleets,vehicles of public fleets, etc.). The OBU may, for example, be installedin transportation fleets, waste management fleets, law enforcementfleets, emergency services, road maintenance fleets, taxi fleets,aircraft fleets, etc. The OBU may, for example, be installed in or on avehicle or other structure with free mobility or relatively limitedmobility. The OBU may also, for example, be carried by a person orservice animal, mounted to a bicycle, mounted to a moving machine ingeneral, mounted to a container, etc.

The OBUs may, for example, operate to connect passing vehicles to thewired infrastructure of one or more network providers, telecomoperators, etc. In accordance with the architecture, hardware, andsoftware functionality discussed herein, vehicles and fleets can beconnected not just to the cellular networks (or other wide area ormetropolitan area networks, etc.) and existing Wi-Fi hotspots spreadover a city or a controlled space, but also to other vehicles (e.g.,utilizing multi-hop communications to a wired infrastructure, single ormulti-hop peer-to-peer vehicle communication, etc.). The vehicles and/orfleets may, for example, form an overall mesh of communication links,for example including the OBUs and also fixed Access Points (APs)connected to the wired infrastructure (e.g., a local infrastructure,etc.). Note that OBUs herein may also be referred to as “Mobile APs,”“mobile hotspots,” “MAPs,” etc. Also note that fixed access points mayalso be referred to herein as Road Side Units (RSUs), Fixed APs, FAPs,etc.

In an example implementation, the OBUs may communicate with the FixedAPs utilizing a relatively long-range protocol (e.g., 802.11p, etc.),and the Fixed APs may, in turn, be hard wired to the wiredinfrastructure (e.g., via cable, tethered optical link, etc.). Note thatFixed APs may also, or alternatively, be coupled to the infrastructurevia wireless link (e.g., 802.11p, etc.). Additionally, clients or userdevices may communicate with the OBUs using one or more relativelyshort-range protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, UWB, etc.). The OBUs, forexample having a longer effective wireless communication range thantypical Wi-Fi access points or other wireless LAN/PAN access points(e.g., at least for links such as those based on 802.11p, etc.), arecapable of substantially greater coverage areas than typical Wi-Fi orother wireless LAN/PAN access points, and thus fewer OBUs are necessaryto provide blanket coverage over a geographical area.

The OBU may, for example, comprise a robust vehicular networking module(e.g., a connection manager) which builds on long-range communicationprotocol capability (e.g., 802.11p, etc.). For example, in addition tocomprising 802.11p (or other long-range protocol) capability tocommunicate with Fixed APs, vehicles, and other nodes in the network,the OBU may comprise a network interface (e.g., 802.11a/b/g/n, 802.11ac,802.11af, any combination thereof, etc.) to provide wireless local areanetwork (WLAN) connectivity to end user devices, sensors, fixed Wi-Fiaccess points, etc. For example, the OBU may operate to providein-vehicle Wi-Fi Internet access to users in and/or around the vehicle(e.g., a bus, train car, taxi cab, public works vehicle, etc.). The OBUmay further comprise one or more wireless backbone communicationinterfaces (e.g., cellular network interfaces, etc.). Though in variousexample scenarios, a cellular network interface (or other wirelessbackbone communication interface) might not be the preferred interfacefor various reasons (e.g., cost, power, bandwidth, etc.), the cellularnetwork interface may be utilized to provide connectivity ingeographical areas that are not presently supported by a Fixed AP, maybe utilized to provide a fail-over communication link, may be utilizedfor emergency communications, may be utilized to subscribe to localinfrastructure access, etc. The cellular network interface may also, forexample, be utilized to allow the deployment of solutions that aredependent on the cellular network operators.

An OBU, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure,may for example comprise a smart connection manager that can select thebest available wireless link(s) (e.g., Wi-Fi, 802.11p, cellular, vehiclemesh, etc.) with which to access the Internet. The OBU may also, forexample, provide geo-location capabilities (e.g., global navigationsatellite system (GNSS)/Global Positioning System (GPS), etc.), motiondetection sensors to determine if the vehicle is in motion, and a powercontrol subsystem (e.g., to ensure that the OBU does not deplete thevehicle battery, etc.). The OBU may, for example, comprise any or all ofthe sensors (e.g., environmental sensors, etc.) discussed herein.

The OBU may also, for example, comprise a manager that managesmachine-to-machine data acquisition and transfer (e.g., in a real-timeor delay-tolerant fashion) to and from the cloud. For example, the OBUmay log and/or communicate information of the vehicles.

The OBU may, for example, comprise a connection and/or routing managerthat operates to perform routing of communications in avehicle-to-vehicle/vehicle-to-infrastructure multi-hop communication. Amobility manager (or controller, MC) may, for example, ensure thatcommunication sessions persist over one or more handoff(s) (alsoreferred to herein as a “handover” or “handovers”) (e.g., betweendifferent Mobile APs, Fixed APs, base stations, hot spots, etc.), amongdifferent technologies (e.g., 802.11p, cellular, Wi-Fi, satellite,etc.), among different MCs (e.g., in a fail-over scenario, loadredistribution scenario, etc.), across different interfaces (or ports),etc. Note that the MC may also be referred to herein as a Local MobilityAnchor (LMA), a Network Controller, etc. Note that the MC, or aplurality thereof, may for example be implemented as part of thebackbone, but may also, or alternatively, be implemented as part of anyof a variety of components or combinations thereof. For example, the MCmay be implemented in a Fixed AP (or distributed system thereof), aspart of an OBU (or a distributed system thereof), etc. Variousnon-limiting examples of system components and/or methods are providedin U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/222,098, filed Sep. 22, 2015, andtitled “Systems and Method for Managing Mobility in a Network of MovingThings,” the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein byreference. Note that in an example implementation including a pluralityof MCs, such MCs may be co-located and/or may be geographicallydistributed.

Various aspects of the present disclosure also provide a cloud-basedservice-oriented architecture that handles the real-time management,monitoring and reporting of the network and clients, the functionalitiesrequired for data storage, processing and management, the Wi-Fi clientauthentication and Captive Portal display, etc.

A communication network (or component thereof) in accordance withvarious aspects of the present disclosure may, for example, support awide range of smart city applications (or controlled scenarios, orconnected scenarios, etc.) and/or use-cases, as described herein.

For example, an example implementation may operate to turn each vehicle(e.g., both public and private taxis, buses, trucks, etc.) into a MobileAP (e.g., a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot), offering Internet access toemployees, passengers and mobile users travelling in the city, waitingin bus stops, sitting in parks, etc. Moreover, through an examplevehicular mesh network formed between vehicles and/or fleets ofvehicles, an implementation may be operable to offload cellular trafficthrough the mobile Wi-Fi hotspots and/or fixed APs (e.g., 802.11p-basedAPs) spread over the city and connected to the wired infrastructure ofpublic or private telecom operators in strategic places, while ensuringthe widest possible coverage at the lowest possible cost.

An example implementation (e.g., of a communication network and/orcomponents thereof) may, for example, be operable as a massive urbanscanner that gathers large amounts of data (e.g., continuously)on-the-move, actionable or not, generated by a myriad of sourcesspanning from the in-vehicle sensors or On Board Diagnostic System port(e.g., OBD2, etc.), interface with an autonomous vehicle driving system,external Wi-Fi/Bluetooth-enabled sensing units spread over the city,devices of vehicles' drivers and passengers (e.g., informationcharacterizing such devices and/or passengers, etc.), positioning systemdevices (e.g., position information, velocity information, trajectoryinformation, travel history information, etc.), etc.

Depending on the use case, the OBU may for example process (or computer,transform, manipulate, aggregate, summarize, etc.) the data beforesending the data from the vehicle, for example providing the appropriategranularity (e.g., value resolution) and sampling rates (e.g., temporalresolution) for each individual application. For example, the OBU may,for example, process the data in any manner deemed advantageous by thesystem. The OBU may, for example, send the collected data (e.g., rawdata, preprocessed data, information of metrics calculated based on thecollected data, etc.) to the Cloud (e.g., to one or more networkedservers coupled to any portion of the network) in an efficient andreliable manner to improve the efficiency, environmental impact andsocial value of municipal city operations and transportation services.Various example use cases are described herein.

In an example scenario in which public buses are moving along cityroutes and/or taxis are performing their private transportationservices, the OBU is able to collect large quantities of real-time datafrom the positioning systems (e.g., GPS, etc.), from accelerometermodules, etc. The OBU may then, for example, communicate such data tothe Cloud, where the data may be processed, reported and viewed, forexample to support such public or private bus and/or taxi operations,for example supporting efficient remote monitoring and scheduling ofbuses and taxis, respectively.

In an example implementation, small cameras (or other sensors) may becoupled to small single-board computers (SBCs) that are placed above thedoors of public buses to allow capturing image sequences of peopleentering and leaving buses, and/or on stops along the bus routes inorder to estimate the number of people waiting for a bus. Such data maybe gathered by the OBU in order to be sent to the Cloud. With such data,public transportation systems may detect peaks; overcrowded buses,routes and stops; underutilized buses, routes and stops; etc., enablingaction to be taken in real-time (e.g., reducing bus periodicity todecrease fuel costs and CO₂ emissions where and when passenger flows aresmaller, etc.) as well as detecting systematic transportation problems.

An OBU may, for example, be operable to communicate with any of avariety of Wi-Fi-enabled sensor devices equipped with a heterogeneouscollection of environmental sensors. Such sensors may, for example,comprise noise sensors (microphones, etc.), gas sensors (e.g., sensingCO, NO₂, O₃, volatile organic compounds (or VOCs), CO₂, etc.), smokesensors, pollution sensors, meteorological sensors (e.g., sensingtemperature, humidity, luminosity, particles, solar radiation, windspeed (e.g., anemometer), wind direction, rain (e.g., a pluviometer),optical scanners, biometric scanners, cameras, microphones, etc.). Suchsensors may also comprise sensors associated with users (e.g., vehicleoperators or passengers, passersby, etc.) and/or their personal devices(e.g., smart phones or watches, biometrics sensors, wearable sensors,implanted sensors, etc.). Such sensors may, for example, comprisesensors and/or systems associated with on-board diagnostic (OBD) unitsfor vehicles, autonomous vehicle driving systems, etc. Such sensors may,for example, comprise positioning sensors (e.g., GPS sensors, Galileosensors, GLONASS sensors, etc.). Note that such positioning sensors maybe part of a vehicle's operational system (e.g., a localhuman-controlled vehicle, an autonomous vehicle, a remotehuman-controlled vehicle, etc.) Such sensors may, for example, comprisecontainer sensors (e.g., garbage can sensors, shipping containersensors, container environmental sensors, container tracking sensors,etc.).

Once a vehicle enters the vicinity of such a sensor device, a wirelesslink may be established, so that the vehicle (or OBU thereof) cancollect sensor data from the sensor device and upload the collected datato a database in the Cloud. The appropriate action can then be taken. Inan example waste management implementation, several waste management (orcollection) trucks may be equipped with OBUs that are able toperiodically communicate with sensors installed on containers in orderto gather information about waste level, time passed since lastcollection, etc. Such information may then sent to the Cloud (e.g., to awaste management application coupled to the Internet, etc.) through thevehicular mesh network, in order to improve the scheduling and/orrouting of waste management trucks. Note that various sensors may alwaysbe in range of the Mobile AP (e.g., vehicle-mounted sensors). Note thatthe sensor may also (or alternatively) be mobile (e.g., a sensor mountedto another vehicle passing by a Mobile AP or Fixed AP, a drone-mountedsensor, a pedestrian-mounted sensor, etc.).

In an example implementation, for example in a controlled space (e.g., aport, harbor, airport, factory, plantation, mine, etc.) with manyvehicles, machines and employees, a communication network in accordancewith various aspects of the present disclosure may expand the wirelesscoverage of enterprise and/or local Wi-Fi networks, for example withoutresorting to a Telco-dependent solution based on SIM cards or cellularfees. In such an example scenario, apart from avoiding expensivecellular data plans, limited data rate and poor cellular coverage insome places, a communication network in accordance with various aspectsof the present disclosure is also able to collect and/or communicatelarge amounts of data, in a reliable and real-time manner, where suchdata may be used to optimize harbor logistics, transportationoperations, etc.

For example in a port and/or harbor implementation, by gatheringreal-time information on the position, speed, fuel consumption and CO₂emissions of the vehicles, the communication network allows a portoperator to improve the coordination of the ship loading processes andincrease the throughput of the harbor. Also for example, thecommunication network enables remote monitoring of drivers' behaviors,behaviors of autonomous vehicles and/or control systems thereof, trucks'positions and engines' status, and then be able to provide real-timenotifications to drivers (e.g., to turn on/off the engine, follow theright route inside the harbor, take a break, etc.), for example humandrivers and/or automated vehicle driving systems, thus reducing thenumber and duration of the harbor services and trips. Harbor authoritiesmay, for example, quickly detect malfunctioning trucks and abnormaltrucks' circulation, thus avoiding accidents in order to increase harborefficiency, security, and safety. Additionally, the vehicles can alsoconnect to Wi-Fi access points from harbor local operators, and provideWi-Fi Internet access to vehicles' occupants and surrounding harboremployees, for example allowing pilots to save time by filing reportsvia the Internet while still on the water.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a communication network 100, inaccordance with various aspects of this disclosure. Any or all of thefunctionality discussed herein may be performed by any or all of theexample components of the example network 100. Also, the example network100 may, for example, share any or all characteristics with the otherexample networks and/or network components 200, 300, 400, 500-570, and600, discussed herein.

The example network 100, for example, comprises a Cloud that may, forexample comprise any of a variety of network level components. The Cloudmay, for example, comprise any of a variety of server systems executingapplications that monitor and/or control components of the network 100.Such applications may also, for example, manage the collection ofinformation from any of a large array of networked information sources,many examples of which are discussed herein. The Cloud (or a portionthereof) may also be referred to, at times, as an API. For example,Cloud (or a portion thereof) may provide one or more applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs) which other devices may use forcommunicating/interacting with the Cloud.

An example component of the Cloud may, for example, manageinteroperability with various multi-cloud systems and architectures.Another example component (e.g., a Cloud service component) may, forexample, provide various cloud services (e.g., captive portal services,authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) services, APIGateway services, etc.). An additional example component (e.g., aDevCenter component) may, for example, provide network monitoring and/ormanagement functionality, manage the implementation of software updates,etc. A further example component of the Cloud may manage data storage,data analytics, data access, etc. A still further example component ofthe Cloud may include any of a variety of third-partly applications andservices.

The Cloud may, for example, be coupled to the Backbone/CoreInfrastructure of the example network 100 via the Internet (e.g.,utilizing one or more Internet Service Providers). Though the Internetis provided by example, it should be understood that scope of thepresent disclosure is not limited thereto.

The Backbone/Core may, for example, comprise any one or more differentcommunication infrastructure components. For example, one or moreproviders may provide backbone networks or various components thereof.As shown in the example network 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, a Backboneprovider may provide wireline access (e.g., PSTN, fiber, cable, etc.).Also for example, a Backbone provider may provide wireless access (e.g.,Microwave, LTE/Cellular, 5G/TV Spectrum, etc.).

The Backbone/Core may also, for example, comprise one or more LocalInfrastructure Providers. The Backbone/Core may also, for example,comprise a private infrastructure (e.g., run by the network 100implementer, owner, etc.). The Backbone/Core may, for example, provideany of a variety of Backbone Services (e.g., AAA, Mobility, Monitoring,Addressing, Routing, Content services, Gateway Control services, etc.).

The Backbone/Core Infrastructure may comprise any of a variety ofcharacteristics, non-limiting examples of which are provided herein. Forexample, the Backbone/Core may be compatible with different wireless orwired technologies for backbone access. The Backbone/Core may also beadaptable to handle public (e.g., municipal, city, campus, etc.) and/orprivate (e.g., ports, campus, etc.) network infrastructures owned bydifferent local providers, and/or owned by the network implementer orstakeholder. The Backbone/Core may, for example, comprise and/orinterface with different Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting(AAA) mechanisms.

The Backbone/Core Infrastructure may, for example, support differentmodes of operation (e.g., L2 in port implementations, L3 in on-landpublic transportation implementations, utilizing any one or more of aplurality of different layers of digital IP networking, any combinationsthereof, equivalents thereof, etc.) or addressing pools. TheBackbone/Core may also for example, be agnostic to the Cloud provider(s)and/or Internet Service Provider(s). Additionally for example, theBackbone/Core may be agnostic to requests coming from any or allsubsystems of the network 100 (e.g., Mobile APs or OBUs (On BoardUnits), Fixed APs or RSUs (Road Side Units), MCs (Mobility Controllers)or LMAs (Local Mobility Anchors) or Network Controllers, etc.) and/orthird-party systems.

The Backbone/Core Infrastructure may, for example, comprise the abilityto utilize and/or interface with different data storage/processingsystems (e.g., MongoDB, MySql, Redis, etc.). The Backbone/CoreInfrastructure may further, for example, provide different levels ofsimultaneous access to the infrastructure, services, data, etc.

The example network 100 may also, for example, comprise a Fixed HotspotAccess Network. Various example characteristics of such a Fixed HotspotAccess Network 200 are shown at FIG. 2. The example network 200 may, forexample, share any or all characteristics with the other examplenetworks and/or network components 100, 300, 400, 500-570, and 600,discussed herein.

In the example network 200, the Fixed APs (e.g., the proprietary APs,the public third party APs, the private third party APs, etc.) may bedirectly connected to the local infrastructure provider and/or to thewireline/wireless backbone. Also for example, the example network 200may comprise a mesh between the various APs via wireless technologies.Note, however, that various wired technologies may also be utilizeddepending on the implementation. As shown, different fixed hotspotaccess networks can be connected to a same backbone provider, but mayalso be connected to different respective backbone providers. In anexample implementation utilizing wireless technology for backboneaccess, such an implementation may be relatively fault tolerant. Forexample, a Fixed AP may utilize wireless communications to the backbonenetwork (e.g., cellular, 3G, LTE, other wide or metropolitan areanetworks, etc.) if the backhaul infrastructure is down. Also forexample, such an implementation may provide for relatively easyinstallation (e.g., a Fixed AP with no cable power source that can beplaced virtually anywhere).

In the example network 200, the same Fixed AP can simultaneously provideaccess to multiple Fixed APs, Mobile APs (e.g., vehicle OBUs, etc.),devices, user devices, sensors, things, etc. For example, a plurality ofmobile hotspot access networks (e.g., OBU-based networks, etc.) mayutilize the same Fixed AP. Also for example, the same Fixed AP canprovide a plurality of simultaneous accesses to another single unit(e.g., another Fixed AP, Mobile AP, device, etc.), for example utilizingdifferent channels, different radios, etc.).

Note that a plurality of Fixed APs may be utilized forfault-tolerance/fail-recovery purposes. In an example implementation, aFixed AP and its fail-over AP may both be normally operational (e.g., ina same switch). Also for example, one or more Fixed APs may be placed inthe network at various locations in an inactive or monitoring mode, andready to become operational when needed (e.g., in response to a fault,in response to an emergency services need, in response to a data surge,etc.).

Referring back to FIG. 1, the example Fixed Hotspot Access Network isshown with a wireless communication link to a backbone provider (e.g.,to one or more Backbone Providers and/or Local InfrastructureProviders), to a Mobile Hotspot Access Network, to one or more End UserDevices, and to the Environment. Also, the example Fixed Hotspot AccessNetwork is shown with a wired communication link to one or more BackboneProviders, to the Mobile Hotspot Access Network, to one or more End UserDevices, and to the Environment. The Environment may comprise any of avariety of devices (e.g., in-vehicle networks, devices, and sensors;autonomous vehicle networks, devices, and sensors; maritime (orwatercraft) and port networks, devices, and sensors; generalcontrolled-space networks, devices, and sensors; residential networks,devices, and sensors; disaster recovery & emergency networks, devices,and sensors; military and aircraft networks, devices, and sensors; smartcity networks, devices, and sensors; event (or venue) networks, devices,and sensors; underwater and underground networks, devices, and sensors;agricultural networks, devices, and sensors; tunnel (auto, subway,train, etc.) networks, devices, and sensors; parking networks, devices,and sensors; security and surveillance networks, devices, and sensors;shipping equipment and container networks, devices, and sensors;environmental control or monitoring networks, devices, and sensors;municipal networks, devices, and sensors; waste management networks,devices, and sensors, road maintenance networks, devices, and sensors,traffic management networks, devices, and sensors; advertising networks,devices and sensors; etc.).

The example network 100 of FIG. 1 also comprises a Mobile Hotspot AccessNetwork. Various example characteristics of such a Mobile Hotspot AccessNetwork 300 are shown at FIG. 3. Note that various fixed networkcomponents (e.g., Fixed APs) are also illustrated. The example network300 may, for example, share any or all characteristics with the otherexample networks and/or network components 100, 200, 400, 500-570, and600 discussed herein.

The example network 300 comprises a wide variety of Mobile APs (orhotspots) that provide access to user devices, provide for sensor datacollection, provide multi-hop connectivity to other Mobile APs, etc. Forexample, the example network 300 comprises vehicles from differentfleets (e.g., aerial, terrestrial, underground, (under)water, etc.). Forexample, the example network 300 comprises one or more massdistribution/transportation fleets, one or more mass passengertransportation fleets, private/public shared-user fleets, privatevehicles, urban and municipal fleets, maintenance fleets, drones,watercraft (e.g., boats, ships, speedboats, tugboats, barges, etc.),emergency fleets (e.g., police, ambulance, firefighter, etc.), etc.

The example network 300, for example, shows vehicles from differentfleets directly connected and/or mesh connected, for example using sameor different communication technologies. The example network 300 alsoshows fleets simultaneously connected to different Fixed APs, which mayor may not belong to different respective local infrastructureproviders. As a fault-tolerance mechanism, the example network 300 mayfor example comprise the utilization of long-range wirelesscommunication network (e.g., cellular, 3G, 4G, LTE, etc.) in vehicles ifthe local network infrastructure is down or otherwise unavailable. Asame vehicle (e.g., Mobile AP or OBU) can simultaneously provide accessto multiple vehicles, devices, things, etc., for example using a samecommunication technology (e.g., shared channels and/or differentrespective channels thereof) and/or using a different respectivecommunication technology for each. Also for example, a same vehicle canprovide multiple accesses to another vehicle, device, thing, etc., forexample using a same communication technology (e.g., shared channelsand/or different respective channels thereof, and/or using a differentcommunication technology).

Additionally, multiple network elements may be connected together toprovide for fault-tolerance or fail recovery, increased throughput, orto achieve any or a variety of a client's networking needs, many ofexamples of which are provided herein. For example, two Mobile APs (orOBUs) may be installed in a same vehicle, etc.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the example Mobile Hotspot Access Network isshown with a wireless communication link to a backbone provider (e.g.,to one or more Backbone Providers and/or Local InfrastructureProviders), to a Fixed Hotspot Access Network, to one or more End UserDevice, and to the Environment (e.g., to any one of more of the sensorsor systems discussed herein, any other device or machine, etc.). Thoughthe Mobile Hotspot Access Network is not shown having a wired link tothe various other components, there may (at least at times) be such awired link, at least temporarily.

The example network 100 of FIG. 1 also comprises a set of End-UserDevices. Various example end user devices are shown at FIG. 4. Note thatvarious other network components (e.g., Fixed Hotspot Access Networks,Mobile Hotspot Access Network(s), the Backbone/Core, etc.) are alsoillustrated. The example network 400 may, for example, share any or allcharacteristics with the other example networks and/or networkcomponents 100, 200, 300, 500-570, and 600, discussed herein.

The example network 400 shows various mobile networked devices. Suchnetwork devices may comprise end-user devices (e.g., smartphones,tablets, smartwatches, laptop computers, webcams, personal gamingdevices, personal navigation devices, personal media devices, personalcameras, health-monitoring devices, personal location devices,monitoring panels, printers, etc.). Such networked devices may alsocomprise any of a variety of devices operating in the generalenvironment, where such devices might not for example be associated witha particular user (e.g. any or all of the sensor devices discussedherein, vehicle sensors, municipal sensors, fleet sensors road sensors,environmental sensors, security sensors, traffic sensors, waste sensors,meteorological sensors, any of a variety of different types of municipalor enterprise equipment, etc.). Any of such networked devices can beflexibly connected to distinct backbone, fixed hotspot access networks,mobile hotspot access networks, etc., using the same or differentwired/wireless technologies.

A mobile device may, for example, operate as an AP to providesimultaneous access to multiple devices/things, which may then form adhoc networks, interconnecting devices ultimately connected to distinctbackbone networks, fixed hotspot, and/or mobile hotspot access networks.Devices (e.g., any or all of the devices or network nodes discussedherein) may, for example, have redundant technologies to access distinctbackbone, fixed hotspot, and/or mobile hotspot access networks, forexample for fault-tolerance and/or load-balancing purposes (e.g.,utilizing multiple SIM cards, etc.). A device may also, for example,simultaneously access distinct backbone, fixed hotspot access networks,and/or mobile hotspot access networks, belonging to the same provider orto different respective providers. Additionally for example, a devicecan provide multiple accesses to another device/thing (e.g., viadifferent channels, radios, etc.).

Referring back to FIG. 1, the example End-User Devices are shown with awireless communication link to a backbone provider (e.g., to one or moreBackbone Providers and/or Local Infrastructure Providers), to a FixedHotspot Access Network, to a Mobile Hotspot Access Network, and to theEnvironment. Also for example, the example End-User Devices are shownwith a wired communication link to a backbone provider, to a FixedHotspot Access Network, to a Mobile Hotspot Access Network, and to theEnvironment.

The example network 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 has a flexiblearchitecture that is adaptable at implementation time (e.g., fordifferent use cases) and/or adaptable in real-time, for example asnetwork components enter and leave service. FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate suchflexibility by providing example modes (or configurations). The examplenetworks 500-570 may, for example, share any or all characteristics withthe other example networks and/or network components 100, 200, 300, 400,and 600, discussed herein. For example and without limitation, any orall of the communication links (e.g., wired links, wireless links, etc.)shown in the example networks 500-570 are generally analogous tosimilarly positioned communication links shown in the example network100 of FIG. 1.

For example, various aspects of this disclosure provide communicationnetwork architectures, systems, and methods for supporting a dynamicallyconfigurable communication network comprising a complex array of bothstatic and moving communication nodes (e.g., the Internet of movingthings). For example, a communication network implemented in accordancewith various aspects of the present disclosure may operate in one of aplurality of modalities comprising various fixed nodes, mobile nodes,and/or a combination thereof, which are selectable to yield any of avariety of system goals (e.g., increased throughput, reduced latency andpacket loss, increased availability and robustness of the system, extraredundancy, increased responsiveness, increased security in thetransmission of data and/or control packets, reduced number ofconfiguration changes by incorporating smart thresholds (e.g., change oftechnology, change of certificate, change of IP, etc.), providingconnectivity in dead zones or zones with difficult access, reducing thecosts for maintenance and accessing the equipment forupdating/upgrading, etc.). At least some of such modalities may, forexample, be entirely comprised of fixed-position nodes, at leasttemporarily if not permanently.

For illustrative simplicity, many of the example aspects shown in theexample system or network 100 of FIG. 1 (and other Figures herein) areomitted from FIGS. 5A-5C, but may be present. For example, the Cloud,Internet, and ISP aspects shown in FIG. 1 and in other Figures are notexplicitly shown in FIGS. 5A-5C, but may be present in any of theexample configurations (e.g., as part of the backbone provider networkor coupled thereto, as part of the local infrastructure provider networkor coupled thereto, etc.).

For example, the first example mode 500 is presented as a normalexecution mode, for example a mode (or configuration) in which all ofthe components discussed herein are present. For example, thecommunication system in the first example mode 500 comprises a backboneprovider network, a local infrastructure provider network, a fixedhotspot access network, a mobile hotspot access network, end-userdevices, and environment devices.

As shown in FIG. 5A, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, the backbone providernetwork may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the otherelements present in the first example mode 500 (or configuration) viaone or more wired (or tethered) links. For example, the backboneprovider network may be communicatively coupled to the localinfrastructure provider network (or any component thereof), fixedhotspot access network (or any component thereof), the end-user devices,and/or environment devices via a wired link. Note that such a wiredcoupling may be temporary. Also note that in various exampleconfigurations, the backbone provider network may also, at leasttemporarily, be communicatively coupled to the mobile hotspot accessnetwork (or any component thereof) via one or more wired (or tethered)links.

Also shown in FIG. 5A, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, the backboneprovider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of theother elements present in the first example mode 500 (or configuration)via one or more wireless links (e.g., radio frequency (RF) link,non-tethered optical link, etc.). For example, the backbone providernetwork may be communicatively coupled to the fixed hotspot accessnetwork (or any component thereof), the mobile hotspot access network(or any component thereof), the end-user devices, and/or environmentdevices via one or more wireless links. Also note that in variousexample configurations, the backbone provider network may also becommunicatively coupled to the local infrastructure provider network viaone or more wireless (or non-tethered) links.

Though not shown in the first example mode 500 (or any of the examplemodes of FIGS. 5A-5C), one or more servers may be communicativelycoupled to the backbone provider network and/or the local infrastructurenetwork. FIG. 1 provides an example of cloud servers beingcommunicatively coupled to the backbone provider network via theInternet.

As additionally shown in FIG. 5A, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, thelocal infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled toany or all of the other elements present in the first example mode 500(or configuration) via one or more wired (or tethered) links. Forexample, the local infrastructure provider network may becommunicatively coupled to the backbone provider network (or anycomponent thereof), fixed hotspot access network (or any componentthereof), the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one ormore wired links. Note that such a wired coupling may be temporary. Alsonote that in various example configurations, the local infrastructureprovider network may also, at least temporarily, be communicativelycoupled to the mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof)via one or more wired (or tethered) links.

Also, though not explicitly shown, the local infrastructure providernetwork may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the otherelements present in the first example mode 500 (or configuration) viaone or more wireless links (e.g., RF link, non-tethered optical link,etc.). For example, the local infrastructure provider network may becommunicatively coupled to the backbone provider network (or anycomponent thereof), the fixed hotspot access network (or any componentthereof), the mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof),the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one or morewireless links. Note that the communication link shown in the firstexample mode 500 of FIG. 5A between the local infrastructure providernetwork and the fixed hotspot access network may be wired and/orwireless.

The fixed hotspot access network is also shown in the first example mode500 to be communicatively coupled to the mobile hotspot access network,the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one or morewireless links. Many examples of such wireless coupling are providedherein. Additionally, the mobile hotspot access network is further shownin the first example mode 500 to be communicatively coupled to theend-user devices and/or environment devices via one or more wirelesslinks. Many examples of such wireless coupling are provided herein.Further, the end-user devices are also shown in the first example mode500 to be communicatively coupled to the environment devices via one ormore wireless links. Many examples of such wireless coupling areprovided herein. Note that in various example implementations any ofsuch wireless links may instead (or in addition) comprise a wired (ortethered) link.

In the first example mode 500 (e.g., the normal mode), information (ordata) may be communicated between an end-user device and a server (e.g.,a computer system) via the mobile hotspot access network, the fixedhotspot access network, the local infrastructure provider network,and/or the backbone provider network. As will be seen in the variousexample modes presented herein, such communication may flexibly occurbetween an end-user device and a server via any of a variety ofdifferent communication pathways, for example depending on theavailability of a network, depending on bandwidth utilization goals,depending on communication priority, depending on communication time (orlatency) and/or reliability constraints, depending on cost, etc. Forexample, information communicated between an end user device and aserver may be communicated via the fixed hotspot access network, thelocal infrastructure provider network, and/or the backbone providernetwork (e.g., skipping the mobile hotspot access network). Also forexample, information communicated between an end user device and aserver may be communicated via the backbone provider network (e.g.,skipping the mobile hotspot access network, fixed hotspot accessnetwork, and/or local infrastructure provider network).

Similarly, in the first example mode 500 (e.g., the normal mode),information (or data) may be communicated between an environment deviceand a server via the mobile hotspot access network, the fixed hotspotaccess network, the local infrastructure provider network, and/or thebackbone provider network. Also for example, an environment device maycommunicate with or through an end-user device (e.g., instead of or inaddition to the mobile hotspot access network). As will be seen in thevarious example modes presented herein, such communication may flexiblyoccur between an environment device and a server (e.g., communicativelycoupled to the local infrastructure provider network and/or backboneprovider network) via any of a variety of different communicationpathways, for example depending on the availability of a network,depending on bandwidth utilization goals, depending on communicationpriority, depending on communication time (or latency) and/orreliability constraints, depending on cost, etc.

For example, information communicated between an environment device anda server may be communicated via the fixed hotspot access network, thelocal infrastructure provider network, and/or the backbone providernetwork (e.g., skipping the mobile hotspot access network). Also forexample, information communicated between an environment device and aserver may be communicated via the backbone provider network (e.g.,skipping the mobile hotspot access network, fixed hotspot accessnetwork, and/or local infrastructure provider network). Additionally forexample, information communicated between an environment device and aserver may be communicated via the local infrastructure provider network(e.g., skipping the mobile hotspot access network and/or fixed hotspotaccess network).

As discussed herein, the example networks presented herein areadaptively configurable to operate in any of a variety of differentmodes (or configurations). Such adaptive configuration may occur atinitial installation and/or during subsequent controlled networkevolution (e.g., adding or removing any or all of the network componentsdiscussed herein, expanding or removing network capacity, adding orremoving coverage areas, adding or removing services, etc.). Suchadaptive configuration may also occur in real-time, for example inresponse to real-time changes in network conditions (e.g., networks orcomponents thereof being available or not based on vehicle oruser-device movement, network or component failure, network or componentreplacement or augmentation activity, network overloading, etc.). Thefollowing example modes are presented to illustrate characteristics ofvarious modes in which a communication system may operate in accordancewith various aspects of the present disclosure. The following examplemodes will generally be discussed in relation to the first example mode500 (e.g., the normal execution mode). Note that such example modes aremerely illustrative and not limiting.

The second example mode (or configuration) 510 (e.g., a no backboneavailable mode) may, for example, share any or all characteristics withthe first example mode 500, albeit without the backbone provider networkand communication links therewith. For example, the communication systemin the second example mode 510 comprises a local infrastructure providernetwork, a fixed hotspot access network, a mobile hotspot accessnetwork, end-user devices, and environment devices.

As shown in FIG. 5A, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, the localinfrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to any orall of the other elements present in the second example mode 510 (orconfiguration) via one or more wired (or tethered) links. For example,the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupledto the fixed hotspot access network (or any component thereof), theend-user devices, and/or environment devices via one or more wiredlinks. Note that such a wired coupling may be temporary. Also note thatin various example configurations, the local infrastructure providernetwork may also, at least temporarily, be communicatively coupled tothe mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof) via one ormore wired (or tethered) links.

Also, though not explicitly shown, the local infrastructure providernetwork may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the otherelements present in the second example mode 510 (or configuration) viaone or more wireless links (e.g., RF link, non-tethered optical link,etc.). For example, the local infrastructure provider network may becommunicatively coupled to the fixed hotspot access network (or anycomponent thereof), the mobile hotspot access network (or any componentthereof), the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one ormore wireless links. Note that the communication link(s) shown in thesecond example mode 510 of FIG. 5A between the local infrastructureprovider network and the fixed hotspot access network may be wiredand/or wireless.

The fixed hotspot access network is also shown in the second examplemode 510 to be communicatively coupled to the mobile hotspot accessnetwork, the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one ormore wireless links. Many examples of such wireless coupling areprovided herein. Additionally, the mobile hotspot access network isfurther shown in the second example mode 510 to be communicativelycoupled to the end-user devices and/or environment devices via one ormore wireless links. Many examples of such wireless coupling areprovided herein. Further, the end-user devices are also shown in thesecond example mode 510 to be communicatively coupled to the environmentdevices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wirelesscoupling are provided herein. Note that in various exampleimplementations any of such wireless links may instead (or in addition)comprise a wired (or tethered) link.

In the second example mode 510 (e.g., the no backbone available mode),information (or data) may be communicated between an end-user device anda server (e.g., a computer, etc.) via the mobile hotspot access network,the fixed hotspot access network, and/or the local infrastructureprovider network. As will be seen in the various example modes presentedherein, such communication may flexibly occur between an end-user deviceand a server via any of a variety of different communication pathways,for example depending on the availability of a network, depending onbandwidth utilization goals, depending on communication priority,depending on communication time (or latency) and/or reliabilityconstraints, depending on cost, etc. For example, informationcommunicated between an end user device and a server may be communicatedvia the fixed hotspot access network and/or the local infrastructureprovider network (e.g., skipping the mobile hotspot access network).Also for example, information communicated between an end user deviceand a server may be communicated via the local infrastructure providernetwork (e.g., skipping the mobile hotspot access network and/or fixedhotspot access network).

Similarly, in the second example mode 510 (e.g., the no backboneavailable mode), information (or data) may be communicated between anenvironment device and a server via the mobile hotspot access network,the fixed hotspot access network, and/or the local infrastructureprovider network. Also for example, an environment device maycommunicate with or through an end-user device (e.g., instead of or inaddition to the mobile hotspot access network). As will be seen in thevarious example modes presented herein, such communication may flexiblyoccur between an environment device and a server (e.g., communicativelycoupled to the local infrastructure provider network) via any of avariety of different communication pathways, for example depending onthe availability of a network, depending on bandwidth utilization goals,depending on communication priority, depending on communication time (orlatency) and/or reliability constraints, depending on cost, etc.

For example, information communicated between an environment device anda server may be communicated via the fixed hotspot access network and/orthe local infrastructure provider network (e.g., skipping the mobilehotspot access network). Also for example, information communicatedbetween an environment device and a server may be communicated via thelocal infrastructure provider network (e.g., skipping the mobile hotspotaccess network and/or fixed hotspot access network).

The second example mode 510 may be utilized for any of a variety ofreasons, non-limiting examples of which are provided herein. Forexample, due to security and/or privacy goals, the second example mode510 may be utilized so that communication access to the public Cloudsystems, the Internet in general, etc., is not allowed. For example, allnetwork control and management functions may be within the localinfrastructure provider network (e.g., wired local network, etc.) and/orthe fixed access point network.

In an example implementation, the communication system might be totallyowned, operated and/or controlled by a local port authority. No extraexpenses associated with cellular connections need be spent. Forexample, cellular connection capability (e.g., in Mobile APs, Fixed APs,end user devices, environment devices, etc.) need not be provided. Notealso that the second example mode 510 may be utilized in a scenario inwhich the backbone provider network is normally available but iscurrently unavailable (e.g., due to server failure, due to communicationlink failure, due to power outage, due to a temporary denial of service,etc.).

The third example mode (or configuration) 520 (e.g., a no localinfrastructure and fixed hotspots available mode) may, for example,share any or all characteristics with the first example mode 500, albeitwithout the local infrastructure provider network, the fixed hotspotaccess network, and communication links therewith. For example, thecommunication system in the third example mode 520 comprises a backboneprovider network, a mobile hotspot access network, end-user devices, andenvironment devices.

As shown in FIG. 5A, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, the backbone providernetwork may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the otherelements present in the third example mode 520 (or configuration) viaone or more wired (or tethered) links. For example, the backboneprovider network may be communicatively coupled to the end-user devicesand/or environment devices via one or more wired links. Note that such awired coupling may be temporary. Also note that in various exampleconfigurations, the backbone provider network may also, at leasttemporarily, be communicatively coupled to the mobile hotspot accessnetwork (or any component thereof) via one or more wired (or tethered)links.

Also shown in FIG. 5A, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, the backboneprovider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of theother elements present in the third example mode 520 (or configuration)via one or more wireless links (e.g., RF link, non-tethered opticallink, etc.). For example, the backbone provider network may becommunicatively coupled to the mobile hotspot access network (or anycomponent thereof), the end-user devices, and/or environment devices viaone or more wireless links.

The mobile hotspot access network is further shown in the third examplemode 520 to be communicatively coupled to the end-user devices and/orenvironment devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples ofsuch wireless coupling are provided herein. Further, the end-userdevices are also shown in the third example mode 520 to becommunicatively coupled to the environment devices via one or morewireless links. Many examples of such wireless coupling are providedherein. Note that in various example implementations any of suchwireless links may instead (or in addition) comprise a wired (ortethered) link.

In the third example mode 520 (e.g., the no local infrastructure andfixed hotspots available mode), information (or data) may becommunicated between an end-user device and a server (e.g., a computer,etc.) via the mobile hotspot access network and/or the backbone providernetwork. As will be seen in the various example modes presented herein,such communication may flexibly occur between an end-user device and aserver via any of a variety of different communication pathways, forexample depending on the availability of a network, depending onbandwidth utilization goals, depending on communication priority,depending on communication time (or latency) and/or reliabilityconstraints, depending on cost, etc. For example, informationcommunicated between an end user device and a server may be communicatedvia the backbone provider network (e.g., skipping the mobile hotspotaccess network).

Similarly, in the third example mode 520 (e.g., the no localinfrastructure and fixed hotspots available mode), information (or data)may be communicated between an environment device and a server via themobile hotspot access network and/or the backbone provider network. Alsofor example, an environment device may communicate with or through anend-user device (e.g., instead of or in addition to the mobile hotspotaccess network). As will be seen in the various example modes presentedherein, such communication may flexibly occur between an environmentdevice and a server (e.g., communicatively coupled to the backboneprovider network) via any of a variety of different communicationpathways, for example depending on the availability of a network,depending on bandwidth utilization goals, depending on communicationpriority, depending on communication time (or latency) and/orreliability constraints, depending on cost, etc. For example,information communicated between an environment device and a server maybe communicated via the backbone provider network (e.g., skipping themobile hotspot access network).

In the third example mode 520, all control/management functions may forexample be implemented within the Cloud. For example, since the mobilehotspot access network does not have a communication link via a fixedhotspot access network, the Mobile APs may utilize a direct connection(e.g., a cellular connection) with the backbone provider network (orCloud). If a Mobile AP does not have such capability, the Mobile AP mayalso, for example, utilize data access provided by the end-user devicescommunicatively coupled thereto (e.g., leveraging the data plans of theend-user devices).

The third example mode 520 may be utilized for any of a variety ofreasons, non-limiting examples of which are provided herein. In anexample implementation, the third example mode 520 may be utilized in anearly stage of a larger deployment, for example deployment that willgrow into another mode (e.g., the example first mode 500, example fourthmode 530, etc.) as more communication system equipment is installed.Note also that the third example mode 520 may be utilized in a scenarioin which the local infrastructure provider network and fixed hotspotaccess network are normally available but are currently unavailable(e.g., due to equipment failure, due to communication link failure, dueto power outage, due to a temporary denial of service, etc.).

The fourth example mode (or configuration) 530 (e.g., a no fixedhotspots available mode) may, for example, share any or allcharacteristics with the first example mode 500, albeit without thefixed hotspot access network and communication links therewith. Forexample, the communication system in the fourth example mode 530comprises a backbone provider network, a local infrastructure providernetwork, a mobile hotspot access network, end-user devices, andenvironment devices.

As shown in FIG. 5B, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, the backbone providernetwork may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the otherelements present in the fourth example mode 530 (or configuration) viaone or more wired (or tethered) links. For example, the backboneprovider network may be communicatively coupled to the localinfrastructure provider network (or any component thereof), the end-userdevices, and/or environment devices via one or more wired links. Notethat such a wired coupling may be temporary. Also note that in variousexample configurations, the backbone provider network may also, at leasttemporarily, be communicatively coupled to the mobile hotspot accessnetwork (or any component thereof) via one or more wired (or tethered)links.

Also shown in FIG. 5B, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, the backboneprovider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of theother elements present in the fourth example mode 530 (or configuration)via one or more wireless links (e.g., RF link, non-tethered opticallink, etc.). For example, the backbone provider network may becommunicatively coupled to the mobile hotspot access network (or anycomponent thereof), the end-user devices, and/or environment devices viaone or more wireless links. Also note that in various exampleconfigurations, the backbone provider network may also becommunicatively coupled to the local infrastructure provider network viaone or more wireless (or non-tethered) links.

As additionally shown in FIG. 5B, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, thelocal infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled toany or all of the other elements present in the fourth example mode 530(or configuration) via one or more wired (or tethered) links. Forexample, the local infrastructure provider network may becommunicatively coupled to the backbone provider network (or anycomponent thereof), the end-user devices, and/or environment devices viaone or more wired links. Note that such a wired coupling may betemporary. Also note that in various example configurations, the localinfrastructure provider network may also, at least temporarily, becommunicatively coupled to the mobile hotspot access network (or anycomponent thereof) via one or more wired (or tethered) links.

Also, though not explicitly shown, the local infrastructure providernetwork may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the otherelements present in the fourth example mode 530 (or configuration) viaone or more wireless links (e.g., RF link, non-tethered optical link,etc.). For example, the local infrastructure provider network may becommunicatively coupled to the backbone provider network (or anycomponent thereof), the mobile hotspot access network (or any componentthereof), the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one ormore wireless links.

The mobile hotspot access network is further shown in the fourth examplemode 530 to be communicatively coupled to the end-user devices and/orenvironment devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples ofsuch wireless coupling are provided herein. Further, the end-userdevices are also shown in the fourth example mode 530 to becommunicatively coupled to the environment devices via one or morewireless links. Many examples of such wireless coupling are providedherein.

In the fourth example mode 530 (e.g., the no fixed hotspots mode),information (or data) may be communicated between an end-user device anda server via the mobile hotspot access network, the local infrastructureprovider network, and/or the backbone provider network. As will be seenin the various example modes presented herein, such communication mayflexibly occur between an end-user device and a server via any of avariety of different communication pathways, for example depending onthe availability of a network, depending on bandwidth utilization goals,depending on communication priority, depending on communication time (orlatency) and/or reliability constraints, depending on cost, etc. Forexample, information communicated between an end user device and aserver may be communicated via the local infrastructure provider networkand/or the backbone provider network (e.g., skipping the mobile hotspotaccess network). Also for example, information communicated between anend user device and a server may be communicated via the backboneprovider network (e.g., skipping the mobile hotspot access networkand/or local infrastructure provider network).

Similarly, in the fourth example mode 530 (e.g., the no fixed hotspotsavailable mode), information (or data) may be communicated between anenvironment device and a server via the mobile hotspot access network,the local infrastructure provider network, and/or the backbone providernetwork. Also for example, an environment device may communicate with orthrough an end-user device (e.g., instead of or in addition to themobile hotspot access network). As will be seen in the various examplemodes presented herein, such communication may flexibly occur between anenvironment device and a server (e.g., communicatively coupled to thelocal infrastructure provider network and/or backbone provider network)via any of a variety of different communication pathways, for exampledepending on the availability of a network, depending on bandwidthutilization goals, depending on communication priority, depending oncommunication time (or latency) and/or reliability constraints,depending on cost, etc.

For example, information communicated between an environment device anda server may be communicated via the local infrastructure providernetwork and/or the backbone provider network (e.g., skipping the mobilehotspot access network). Also for example, information communicatedbetween an environment device and a server may be communicated via thebackbone provider network (e.g., skipping the mobile hotspot accessnetwork and/or local infrastructure provider network). Additionally forexample, information communicated between an environment device and aserver may be communicated via the local infrastructure provider network(e.g., skipping the mobile hotspot access network and/or backboneprovider network).

In the fourth example mode 530, in an example implementation, some ofthe control/management functions may for example be implemented withinthe local backbone provider network (e.g., within a client premises).For example, communication to the local infrastructure provider may beperformed through the backbone provider network (or Cloud). Note that ina scenario in which there is a direct communication pathway between thelocal infrastructure provider network and the mobile hotspot accessnetwork, such communication pathway may be utilized.

For example, since the mobile hotspot access network does not have acommunication link via a fixed hotspot access network, the Mobile APsmay utilize a direct connection (e.g., a cellular connection) with thebackbone provider network (or Cloud). If a Mobile AP does not have suchcapability, the Mobile AP may also, for example, utilize data accessprovided by the end-user devices communicatively coupled thereto (e.g.,leveraging the data plans of the end-user devices).

The fourth example mode 530 may be utilized for any of a variety ofreasons, non-limiting examples of which are provided herein. In anexample implementation, the fourth example mode 530 may be utilized inan early stage of a larger deployment, for example a deployment thatwill grow into another mode (e.g., the example first mode 500, etc.) asmore communication system equipment is installed. The fourth examplemode 530 may, for example, be utilized in a scenario in which there isno fiber (or other) connection available for Fixed APs (e.g., in amaritime scenario, in a plantation scenario, etc.), or in which a FixedAP is difficult to access or connect. For example, one or more MobileAPs of the mobile hotspot access network may be used as gateways toreach the Cloud. The fourth example mode 530 may also, for example, beutilized when a vehicle fleet and/or the Mobile APs associated therewithare owned by a first entity and the Fixed APs are owned by anotherentity, and there is no present agreement for communication between theMobile APs and the Fixed APs. Note also that the fourth example mode 530may be utilized in a scenario in which the fixed hotspot access networkis normally available but are currently unavailable (e.g., due toequipment failure, due to communication link failure, due to poweroutage, due to a temporary denial of service, etc.).

The fifth example mode (or configuration) 540 (e.g., a no mobilehotspots available mode) may, for example, share any or allcharacteristics with the first example mode 500, albeit without themobile hotspot access network and communication links therewith. Forexample, the communication system in the fifth example mode 540comprises a backbone provider network, a local infrastructure providernetwork, a fixed hotspot access network, end-user devices, andenvironment devices.

As shown in FIG. 5B, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, the backbone providernetwork may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the otherelements present in the fifth example mode 540 (or configuration) viaone or more wired (or tethered) links. For example, the backboneprovider network may be communicatively coupled to the localinfrastructure provider network (or any component thereof), fixedhotspot access network (or any component thereof), the end-user devices,and/or environment devices via one or more wired links. Note that such awired coupling may be temporary.

Also shown in FIG. 5B, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, the backboneprovider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of theother elements present in the fifth example mode 540 (or configuration)via one or more wireless links (e.g., RF link, non-tethered opticallink, etc.). For example, the backbone provider network may becommunicatively coupled to the fixed hotspot access network (or anycomponent thereof), the end-user devices, and/or environment devices viaone or more wireless links. Also note that in various exampleconfigurations, the backbone provider network may also becommunicatively coupled to the local infrastructure provider network viaone or more wireless (or non-tethered) links.

As additionally shown in FIG. 5B, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, thelocal infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled toany or all of the other elements present in the fifth example mode 540(or configuration) via one or more wired (or tethered) links. Forexample, the local infrastructure provider network may becommunicatively coupled to the backbone provider network (or anycomponent thereof), fixed hotspot access network (or any componentthereof), the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one ormore wired links. Note that such a wired coupling may be temporary. Alsonote that in various example configurations, the local infrastructureprovider network may also, at least temporarily, be communicativelycoupled to the mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof)via one or more wired (or tethered) links.

Also, though not explicitly shown, the local infrastructure providernetwork may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the otherelements present in the fifth example mode 540 (or configuration) viaone or more wireless links (e.g., RF link, non-tethered optical link,etc.). For example, the local infrastructure provider network may becommunicatively coupled to the backbone provider network, the fixedhotspot access network (or any component thereof), the end-user devices,and/or environment devices via one or more wireless links. Note that thecommunication link(s) shown in the fifth example mode 540 of FIG. 5Bbetween the local infrastructure provider network and the fixed hotspotaccess network may be wired and/or wireless.

The fixed hotspot access network is also shown in the fifth example mode540 to be communicatively coupled to the end-user devices and/orenvironment devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples ofsuch wireless coupling are provided herein. Further, the end-userdevices are also shown in the fifth example mode 540 to becommunicatively coupled to the environment devices via one or morewireless links. Many examples of such wireless coupling are providedherein.

In the fifth example mode 540 (e.g., the no mobile hotspots availablemode), information (or data) may be communicated between an end-userdevice and a server via the fixed hotspot access network, the localinfrastructure provider network, and/or the backbone provider network.As will be seen in the various example modes presented herein, suchcommunication may flexibly occur between an end-user device and a servervia any of a variety of different communication pathways, for exampledepending on the availability of a network, depending on bandwidthutilization goals, depending on communication priority, depending oncommunication time (or latency) and/or reliability constraints,depending on cost, etc. For example, information communicated between anend user device and a server may be communicated via the localinfrastructure provider network, and/or the backbone provider network(e.g., skipping the fixed hotspot access network). Also for example,information communicated between an end user device and a server may becommunicated via the backbone provider network (e.g., skipping the fixedhotspot access network and/or local infrastructure provider network).

Similarly, in the fifth example mode 540 (e.g., the no mobile hotspotsavailable mode), information (or data) may be communicated between anenvironment device and a server via the fixed hotspot access network,the local infrastructure provider network, and/or the backbone providernetwork. Also for example, an environment device may communicate with orthrough an end-user device (e.g., instead of or in addition to the fixedhotspot access network). As will be seen in the various example modespresented herein, such communication may flexibly occur between anenvironment device and a server (e.g., communicatively coupled to thelocal infrastructure provider network and/or backbone provider network)via any of a variety of different communication pathways, for exampledepending on the availability of a network, depending on bandwidthutilization goals, depending on communication priority, depending oncommunication time (or latency) and/or reliability constraints,depending on cost, etc.

For example, information communicated between an environment device anda server may be communicated via the local infrastructure providernetwork and/or the backbone provider network (e.g., skipping the fixedhotspot access network). Also for example, information communicatedbetween an environment device and a server may be communicated via thebackbone provider network (e.g., skipping the fixed hotspot accessnetwork and/or local infrastructure provider network). Additionally forexample, information communicated between an environment device and aserver may be communicated via the local infrastructure provider network(e.g., skipping the fixed hotspot access network and/or the backboneprovider network).

In the fifth example mode 540, in an example implementation, theend-user devices and environment devices may communicate directly toFixed APs (e.g., utilizing Ethernet, Wi-Fi, etc.). Also for example, theend-user devices and/or environment devices may communicate directlywith the backbone provider network (e.g., utilizing cellularconnections, etc.).

The fifth example mode 540 may be utilized for any of a variety ofreasons, non-limiting examples of which are provided herein. In anexample implementation in which end-user devices and/or environmentdevices may communicate directly with Fixed APs, such communication maybe utilized instead of Mobile AP communication. For example, the fixedhotspot access network might provide coverage for all desired areas.

Note also that the fifth example mode 540 may be utilized in a scenarioin which the fixed hotspot access network is normally available but iscurrently unavailable (e.g., due to equipment failure, due tocommunication link failure, due to power outage, due to a temporarydenial of service, etc.).

The sixth example mode (or configuration) 550 (e.g., the no fixed/mobilehotspots and local infrastructure available mode) may, for example,share any or all characteristics with the first example mode 500, albeitwithout the local infrastructure provider network, fixed hotspot accessnetwork, mobile hotspot access network, and communication linkstherewith. For example, the communication system in the sixth examplemode 550 comprises a backbone provider network, end-user devices, andenvironment devices.

As shown in FIG. 5B, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, the backbone providernetwork may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the otherelements present in the sixth example mode 550 (or configuration) viaone or more wired (or tethered) links. For example, the backboneprovider network may be communicatively coupled to the end-user devicesand/or environment devices via one or more wired links. Note that such awired coupling may be temporary.

Also shown in FIG. 5B, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, the backboneprovider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of theother elements present in the sixth example mode 550 (or configuration)via one or more wireless links (e.g., RF link, non-tethered opticallink, etc.). For example, the backbone provider network may becommunicatively coupled to the end-user devices and/or environmentdevices via one or more wireless links.

The end-user devices are also shown in the sixth example mode 550 to becommunicatively coupled to the environment devices via one or morewireless links. Many examples of such wireless coupling are providedherein.

In the sixth example mode 550 (e.g., the no fixed/mobile hotspots andlocal infrastructure available mode), information (or data) may becommunicated between an end-user device and a server via the backboneprovider network. Similarly, in the sixth example mode 550 (e.g., the nofixed/mobile hotspots and local infrastructure mode), information (ordata) may be communicated between an environment device and a server viathe backbone provider network. Also for example, an environment devicemay communicate with or through an end-user device (e.g., instead of orin addition to the mobile hotspot access network).

The sixth example mode 550 may be utilized for any of a variety ofreasons, non-limiting examples of which are provided herein. In anexample implementation, for example in which an end-user has not yetsubscribed to the communication system, the end-user device maysubscribe to the system through a Cloud application and by communicatingdirectly with the backbone provider network (e.g., via cellular link,etc.). The sixth example mode 550 may also, for example, be utilized inrural areas in which Mobile AP presence is sparse, Fixed AP installationis difficult or impractical, etc.

Note also that the sixth example mode 550 may be utilized in a scenarioin which the infrastructure provider network, fixed hotspot accessnetwork, and/or mobile hotspot access network are normally available butare currently unavailable (e.g., due to equipment failure, due tocommunication link failure, due to power outage, due to a temporarydenial of service, etc.).

The seventh example mode (or configuration) 560 (e.g., the no backboneand mobile hotspots available mode) may, for example, share any or allcharacteristics with the first example mode 500, albeit without thebackbone provider network, mobile hotspot access network, andcommunication links therewith. For example, the communication system inthe seventh example mode 560 comprises a local infrastructure providernetwork, fixed hotspot access network, end-user devices, and environmentdevices.

As shown in FIG. 5C, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, the localinfrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to any orall of the other elements present in the seventh example mode 560 (orconfiguration) via one or more wired (or tethered) links. For example,the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupledto the fixed hotspot access network (or any component thereof), theend-user devices, and/or environment devices via one or more wiredlinks. Note that such a wired coupling may be temporary.

Also, though not explicitly shown, the local infrastructure providernetwork may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the otherelements present in the seventh example mode 560 (or configuration) viaone or more wireless links (e.g., RF link, non-tethered optical link,etc.). For example, the local infrastructure provider network may becommunicatively coupled to the fixed hotspot access network (or anycomponent thereof), the end-user devices, and/or environment devices viaone or more wireless links. Note that the communication link shown inthe seventh example mode 560 of FIG. 5C between the local infrastructureprovider network and the fixed hotspot access network may be wiredand/or wireless.

The fixed hotspot access network is also shown in the seventh examplemode 560 to be communicatively coupled to the end-user devices and/orenvironment devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples ofsuch wireless coupling are provided herein. Additionally, the end-userdevices are also shown in the seventh example mode 560 to becommunicatively coupled to the environment devices via one or morewireless links. Many examples of such wireless coupling are providedherein.

In the seventh example mode 560 (e.g., the no backbone and mobilehotspots available mode), information (or data) may be communicatedbetween an end-user device and a server via the fixed hotspot accessnetwork and/or the local infrastructure provider network. As will beseen in the various example modes presented herein, such communicationmay flexibly occur between an end-user device and a server via any of avariety of different communication pathways, for example depending onthe availability of a network, depending on bandwidth utilization goals,depending on communication priority, depending on communication time (orlatency) and/or reliability constraints, depending on cost, etc. Forexample, information communicated between an end user device and aserver may be communicated via the local infrastructure provider network(e.g., skipping the fixed hotspot access network).

Similarly, in the seventh example mode 560 (e.g., the no backbone andmobile hotspots available mode), information (or data) may becommunicated between an environment device and a server via the fixedhotspot access network and/or the local infrastructure provider network.Also for example, an environment device may communicate with or throughan end-user device (e.g., instead of or in addition to the mobilehotspot access network). As will be seen in the various example modespresented herein, such communication may flexibly occur between anenvironment device and a server (e.g., communicatively coupled to thelocal infrastructure provider network) via any of a variety of differentcommunication pathways, for example depending on the availability of anetwork, depending on bandwidth utilization goals, depending oncommunication priority, depending on communication time (or latency)and/or reliability constraints, depending on cost, etc. For example,information communicated between an environment device and a server maybe communicated via the local infrastructure provider network (e.g.,skipping the fixed hotspot access network).

The seventh example mode 560 may be utilized for any of a variety ofreasons, non-limiting examples of which are provided herein. In anexample controlled space implementation, Cloud access might not beprovided (e.g., for security reasons, privacy reasons, etc.), and full(or sufficient) coverage of the coverage area is provided by the fixedhotspot access network, and thus the mobile hotspot access network isnot needed. For example, the end-user devices and environment devicesmay communicate directly (e.g., via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, etc.) with theFixed APs

Note also that the seventh example mode 560 may be utilized in ascenario in which the backbone provider network and/or fixed hotspotaccess network are normally available but are currently unavailable(e.g., due to equipment failure, due to communication link failure, dueto power outage, due to a temporary denial of service, etc.).

The eighth example mode (or configuration) 570 (e.g., the no backbone,fixed hotspots, and local infrastructure available mode) may, forexample, share any or all characteristics with the first example mode500, albeit without the backbone provider network, local infrastructureprovider network, fixed hotspot access network, and communication linkstherewith. For example, the communication system in the eighth examplemode 570 comprises a mobile hotspot access network, end-user devices,and environment devices.

As shown in FIG. 5C, and in FIG. 1 in more detail, the mobile hotspotaccess network is shown in the eighth example mode 570 to becommunicatively coupled to the end-user devices and/or environmentdevices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wirelesscoupling are provided herein. Further, the end-user devices are alsoshown in the eighth example mode 570 to be communicatively coupled tothe environment devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples ofsuch wireless coupling are provided herein.

In the eighth example mode 570 (e.g., the no backbone, fixed hotspots,and local infrastructure available mode), information (or data) mightnot (at least currently) be communicated between an end-user device anda server (e.g., a coupled to the backbone provider network, localinfrastructure provider network, etc.). Similarly, information (or data)might not (at least currently) be communicated between an environmentdevice and a server (e.g., a coupled to the backbone provider network,local infrastructure provider network, etc.). Note that the environmentdevice may communicate with or through an end-user device (e.g., insteadof or in addition to the mobile hotspot access network).

The eighth example mode 570 may be utilized for any of a variety ofreasons, non-limiting examples of which are provided herein. In anexample implementation, the eighth example mode 570 may be utilized forgathering and/or serving data (e.g., in a delay-tolerant networkingscenario), providing peer-to-peer communication through the mobilehotspot access network (e.g., between clients of a single Mobile AP,between clients of respective different Mobile APs, etc.), etc. Inanother example scenario, the eighth example mode 570 may be utilized ina scenario in which vehicle-to-vehicle communications are prioritizedabove vehicle-to-infrastructure communications. In yet another examplescenario, the eighth example mode 570 may be utilized in a scenario inwhich all infrastructure access is lost (e.g., in tunnels, parkinggarages, etc.).

Note also that the eighth example mode 570 may be utilized in a scenarioin which the backbone provider network, local infrastructure providernetwork, and/or fixed hotspot access network are normally available butare currently unavailable (e.g., due to equipment failure, due tocommunication link failure, due to power outage, due to a temporarydenial of service, etc.).

As shown and discussed herein, it is beneficial to have a genericplatform that allows multi-mode communications of multiple users ormachines within different environments, using multiple devices withmultiple technologies, connected to multiple moving/static things withmultiple technologies, forming wireless (mesh) hotspot networks overdifferent environments, connected to multiple wired/wirelessinfrastructure/network backbone providers, ultimately connected to theInternet, Cloud or private network infrastructure.

FIG. 6 shows yet another block diagram of an example networkconfiguration, in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. The example network 600 may, for example, share any or allcharacteristics with the other example networks and/or networkcomponents 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500-570, discussed herein. Notably,the example network 600 shows a plurality of Mobile APs (or OBUs), eachcommunicatively coupled to a Fixed AP (or RSU), where each Mobile AP mayprovide network access to a vehicle network (e.g., comprising othervehicles or vehicle networks, user devices, sensor devices, etc.).

In accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, systemsand methods are provided that manage a vehicle communication network,for example in accordance with the location of nodes and end devices, ina way that provides for stable TCP/IP Internet access, among otherthings. For example, an end user may be provided with a clean and stableWi-Fi Internet connection that may appear to the end user to be the sameas the Wi-Fi Internet connection at the user's home, user's workplace,fixed public Wi-Fi hotspots, etc. For example, for a user utilizing acommunication network as described herein, a TCP session may stayactive, downloads may process normally, calls may proceed withoutinterruption, etc. As discussed herein, a vehicle communication networkin accordance with various aspects of this disclosure may be applied asa transport layer for regular Internet traffic and/or for privatenetwork traffic (e.g., extending the access of customer private LANsfrom the wired network to vehicles and users around them, etc.).

In accordance with an example network implementation, although a usermight be always connected to a single Wi-Fi AP of a vehicle, the vehicle(or the access point thereof, for example an OBU) is moving betweenmultiple access points (e.g., Fixed APs, other Mobile APs, cellular basestations, fixed Wi-Fi hotspots, etc.). For example, mobility managementimplemented in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosuresupports the mobility of each vehicle and its users across differentcommunication technologies (e.g., IEEE 802.11p, cellular, Wi-Fi (e.g.,IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad), etc.) as the Mobile APs migrate among FixedAPs (and/or Mobile APs) and/or as users migrate between Mobile APs.

In accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, a mobilitycontroller (MC), which may also be referred to as an LMA or NetworkController (NC), may monitor the location (e.g., network location, etc.)of various nodes (e.g., Mobile APs, etc.) and/or the location of endusers connected through them. The mobility controller (MC/NC) may, forexample, provide seamless handovers (e.g., maintaining communicationsession continuity) between different access points and/or differenttechnologies with low link latency and low handover times.

The architecture provided herein is scalable, for example takingadvantage of redundant elements and/or functionality to provideload-balancing of control and/or data communication functionality, aswell as to decrease failure probability. Various aspects of the presentdisclosure also provide for decreased control signaling (e.g., in amountand/or frequency), which reduces the control overhead and reduces thesize of control tables and tunneling, for example both in backendservers and in APs (e.g., Fixed APs and/or Mobile APs).

Additionally, a communication network (or components thereof) inaccordance with various aspects of this disclosure may comprise theability to interact with mobile devices in order to control some or allof their connection choices and/or to leverage their controlfunctionality. For example, in an example implementation, a mobileapplication can run in the background, managing the available networksand/or nodes thereof and selecting the one that best fits, and thentriggering a handoff to the selected network (or node thereof) beforebreakdown of the current connection.

The communication network (or components thereof) is also configurable,according to the infrastructure requirements and/or mobility needs ofeach client, etc. For example, the communication network (or componentsthereof) may comprise the capability to support different Layer 2 (L2)or Layer 3 (L3) implementations, or combinations thereof, as well asIPv4/IPv6 traffic.

Aspect of this disclosure enable a network of moving things in whichend-users are connected to the Internet all the time without noticingany disruptions in their service, despite mobility of the end-userdevices, despite the mobility of at least some of the access points(e.g., one or more mobile APs (MAPs)), and despite the very dynamic anddense environments that are to be expected in such a network. Forexample, aspects of this disclosure enable uninterrupted flows of datato/from the end-user device such as, for example, a voice-over-InternetProtocol (VoIP) call, a connection to a streaming video server, browsingof Internet web sites, etc., even while the end-user device is movingwithin the network (e.g. changing from being connected via a fixed AP ata bus stop to a mobile AP of a bus the user is boarding, or, as a moreextreme example, repeatedly switching from one mobile AP to another asthe mobile APs pass by the end-user standing on the sidewalk). Withoutsuch seamless mobility, the Internet or other network connection of theend-user device will drop as s/he moves between points of wirelessaccess to the network, resulting in the need to refresh loading ofpages, restart downloads, reconnect dropped VoIP calls, etc. Providingthis seamless mobility to end-user devices means enabling seamlessmobility among different fixed APs and/or other backhaul technologies ofthe mobile APs that serve the end-user devices, and also the seamlessmobility of end-user devices among the mobile APs.

Aspects of this disclosure provide methods and systems for thenegotiation, between access points (e.g., mobile APs and fixed APs), the“ownership” of end-user devices, which means that when an end-userdevice switches between, for example, a fixed AP serving a bus stop anda mobile AP of a bus, or between a mobile AP of a first bus and a mobileAP of a second bus, the network is able to detect and properly handlethis mobility. To this end, the APs of a network in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure may be operable to negotiate amongthemselves, to determine which of the APs is going to maintain theend-user wireless connection. The process of negotiation may comprise,for example, predicting the best new access point through which toconnect a specific end-user device, and communicating informationbetween network elements in order to synchronize the APs so that the APsare able to make decisions that provide the best wireless serviceperformance for the end-user device. The APs of such a network mayprovide “make-before-break” solutions that allow the APs to probe andevaluate possible new wireless connections before an existing wirelessconnection is removed. The APs may be configured with definedthresholds/mechanisms that prevent constant changing (e.g., oscillationor “ping-pong”) of the wireless connection between the end-user deviceand two or more access points.

Managing seamless Wi-Fi mobility is a difficult task, because the Wi-Fistandards (e.g., IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad) were not designed for dynamicscenarios in which connected devices may move between access pointsduring a communication session, without loss of data. One possiblesolution to support mobility is to manage end-user device mobility atOSI layer 2, where all APs broadcast the same L2 domain. For example,end-user device mobility may be based upon the use of updates to what iscommonly referred to as an “ARPtable.” An “ARPtable” may store one ormore Internet Protocol (IP) addresses in association with theircorresponding media access control (MAC) addresses, which enables anetwork device to communicate IP packets with other network devices overan Ethernet link using IP addresses. Such ARPtable updates may be donerelatively quickly. However, extending L2 domains over Wi-Fi links witha high number of end-users devices may provide an unacceptable end-userexperience. By sharing the same L2 domain, all broadcast traffic on oneAP may be replicated to all other APs, resulting in what is referred toherein as a “broadcast storm.” Such network activity may havesignificant impacts on quality of service (QoS). Accordingly, variousaspects of the present disclosure provide methods and systems forhandling mobility at OSI layer 3, thereby avoiding the L2 problems andinsuring better QoS for the users.

As described in the above-incorporated provisional applications, thenetwork may comprise a network controller (NC, or “mobility controller,”MC), one or more mobile access points (MAPs), and one or more end-userdevices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.).

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the functional elements of anexample network controller (NC) 710, in accordance with various aspectsof the present disclosure. An NC such as the NC 710 of FIG. 7 may beresponsible for managing both MAP location and end-user device locationwithin the network. A network controller in accordance with variousaspects of the present disclosure manages the location of elements ofthe network of moving things (e.g., mobile elements such as MAPs andend-user devices) so that when the NC receives data traffic from theanother network (e.g., the Internet) that is destined for an element ofthe network of the present disclosure (i.e., a MAP/OBU and/or end-userdevice of the network of moving things), the NC uses the location withinthe network where this MAP/OBU and/or end-user device is currentlyconnected (which may, for example, be considered an analogy to itsactual geographic location), so that the information packets may beforwarded through the network to destination network element. Forexample, assuming a situation in which a device of a User A is currentlyconnected to a MAP B that is communicating with a NC D via a FAP C, theNC D, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, may forwardreceived packet traffic destined for User A through FAP C to MAP B, andfrom there on to the device of User A. Each NC of a network of movingthings in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure may trackthe locations of a set of MAPs/OBUs and end-user devices assigned to theNC, using methods and systems described herein and in theabove-incorporated provisional applications.

As depicted in FIG. 7, the NC 710 comprises a MAP location interface(I/F) module 712 that communicates with one or more MAPs (e.g., MAP740), each of which may wirelessly communicate with one or more end-userdevices (e.g., end-user device 730). The MAP location I/F module 712 mayperiodically communicate with each of the MAPs assigned to the MAPlocation I/F module 712, to keep track of the movement of the MAPs. Inaddition, the NC 710 comprises an end-user device location interface(I/F) module 714 that may be responsible for location-related messageprocessing for end-user devices (e.g., end-user device 730, such as asmartphone, tablet, laptop, camera, etc.), and may communicate locationinformation to the other network controllers of the network of movingthings, shown in FIG. 7 as other NCs 715. The NC 710 may also comprise aMAP location module 716 that communicates with the MAP locationinterface (I/F) module 712. In accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure, the MAP location module 716 may act as a database thatstores information regarding the location of all MAPs assigned to the NC710. The NC 710 of FIG. 7 also comprises an end-user device IP addressassignment module 718 that may be responsible for managing one or morepools of IP addresses to be assigned or allocated to MAPs. The NC 710may also comprises an end-user device location module 720 that may beresponsible for keeping track of the current location of the end-userdevice within the entirety of the network of moving things. Inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure, each MAP (e.g., MAP740) in a network of moving things may have one or more end-user deviceswirelessly connected to the MAP (e.g., end-user device 730), and suchend-user devices may switch their wireless connection/associationbetween two or more MAPs of the network, even when the two or more MAPsare not assigned to the same NC (e.g., NC 710). The assignment of a MAPto an NC is discussed in greater detail below.

In a network of moving things in accordance with the present disclosure,the NC is responsible for managing both MAP location and end-user devicelocation within the network. Each NC has a set of MAPs assigned to theNC, and each NC keeps track of the locations of the MAPs assigned to theNC using methods and systems described herein and in theabove-incorporated provisional applications.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram illustrating the functional elements of anexample mobile access point (MAP) 840, in accordance with variousaspects of the present disclosure. The MAP 840 of FIG. 8 may correspond,for example, to the MAP 730 of FIG. 7, or the MAPs described above withregard to FIGS. 1-6. As shown in FIG. 8, an example MAP 840 may comprisea MAP end-user device negotiation I/F module 841 that is responsible forperforming negotiation between MAPs such as, for example, the MAP 840and a neighboring MAP 844. The MAP 840 may also comprise a Wi-Fi I/Fmodule 843 that is responsible for managing wireless interactions of theMAP 840 with the currently active Wi-Fi networks. The MAP 840 of FIG. 8also comprises an end-user device location I/F module 845 that isresponsible for processing messages related to the location of one ormore end-user devices (e.g., end-user devices 830, 835). In addition,the MAP 840 may comprises a Wi-Fi network management module 847 that isresponsible for managing the Wi-Fi networks based on networkinformation. A Wi-Fi network management module according to the presentdisclosure (e.g., Wi-Fi network management module 847) may, among otherthings, manage the Wi-Fi network(s) provided to end-user device(s) by,in part, managing the number of Service Set Identifiers (SSIDs)broadcast by the MAP (e.g., MAP 840). For each SSID that the MAPbroadcasts, the Wi-Fi network management module of the MAP may, forexample, manage the type of authentication in use, the type of trafficforwarding in effect, one or more Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol(DHCP) address pools, the operation of a Domain Name System (DNS)server, and manage the operation of one or more gateways. For example,one MAP/OBU may have a first SSID A for a captive portal and acorresponding DHCP pool X, a second SSID B with radius authenticationand a corresponding DHCP pool Y, and a third SSID without a captiveportal or authentication and with a corresponding DHCP pool Z. A MAPsuch as the MAP 840 may also comprise an end-user device managementmodule 849 that provides local management of the end-user devicescurrently wirelessly connected to the MAP 840.

Various aspects of the present disclosure provide mobility to end-userdevices moving between wireless coverage areas of APs (e.g., fixed APs(FAPs) and mobile APs (MAPs)/OBUs of FIGS. 1-8) with a minimumperceptible effect upon the operation of wireless (e.g., radio frequency(RF)) communication of the end-user device or the experience of theend-user regarding those aspects of the end-user device that involvesuch wireless communication via the APs. In a network of moving thingsin accordance with the present disclosure, wireless RF network handoffsof an end-user device between APs are seamless, and without disruptionof communication of the end-user device with the various services and/orresources (e.g., the Internet) accessed via the wireless RF networkprovided to the end-user device by the APs. In accordance with variousaspects of the present disclosure, movement of end-user devices betweencoverage areas of APs may be handled in a number of ways.

For example, in a first approach, the responsibility of managing thewireless connection of the end-user device with the network may be leftto the end-user device, and the network simply acknowledges the locationin the network at which the end-user device is connected. End-userdevices that are, for example, Wi-Fi-enabled (e.g., those end-userdevices configured to communicate using IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad) may,for example, choose to communicate with a Wi-Fi compatible networkinterface of an AP, by selecting an AP of the wireless network based ona search of the available APs that are within Wi-Fi wirelesscommunication range of the end-user device. It should be noted that anAP in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure may havea number of wireless network interfaces that are operable on variousportions/channels of various radio frequency bands using variouscommunication protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, etc.). Anend-user device may, for example, choose to communicate with a givenWi-Fi enabled AP among multiple APs within wireless communication range,based on which Wi-Fi network interface of the APs provides a wirelesssignal having a best indication of quality (e.g., received signalstrength (RSSI)), and the end-user device may then attempt to establisha wireless connection with that chosen AP. Such a Wi-Fi networkinterface may be broadcasting identifiers such as, for example, awireless network identifier such as a service set identifier (SSID), anda unique basic service set identifier (BSSID). The SSID may, forexample, be a string of alphanumeric characters, and the BSSID may, forexample, be a MAC address of the wireless access point (WAP), which maybe generated by combining a 24-bit Organization Unique Identifier (i.e.,an identifier of the manufacturer) and a 24-bit identifier assigned tothe radio chipset used in the WAP. The end-user device may search foranother AP when the end-user device senses that the wireless connectionto the AP with that BSSID is no longer satisfactory (e.g., quality isbelow a quality threshold), and the end-user device may give priority tocompatible wireless networks having the same SSID. An end-user devicemay stay connected to an AP for as long as the end-user device issatisfied with the wireless connection provided by that AP having thatBSSID.

In a second example approach, the selection of a suitable AP andmobility of the end-user device may be managed by the wireless network,according to various aspects of the present disclosure, and the APs(e.g., FAPs and/or MAPs) of the wireless network may communicate amongthemselves in order to identify which of the APs is the best/mostsuitable AP to provide service to a given end-user device, without aneed for the end-user device to know that the point of wirelessattachment of the end-user device to the network of moving things haschanged. The following discussion addresses three different exampleimplementations of a process for managing a Wi-Fi wireless connection ofan end-user device from the AP (network) side. The first exampleimplementation uses a shared SSID and multiple BSSIDs of a Wi-Finetwork, the second example implementation uses a shared SSID and ashared BSSID, and the third example implementation uses a shared SSIDand a per-end-user-device BSSID. It should be noted that although thefollowing discussion focusses on details of use of a Wi-Fi compatiblewireless network interfaces on the APs and end-user device, otherwireless RF communication protocols may also be used by adapting theteachings provided herein to the specifics of the chosen wireless RFcommunication protocol.

In the first example implementation using a shared SSID and multipleBSSIDs, each Wi-Fi enabled AP may broadcast the same SSID, but any givenAP may broadcast a BSSID that is unique to that AP. The various APs(e.g., FAPs and/or MAPs) may communicate wirelessly with the end-userdevices using the same or different RF channels or frequency bands. Insuch an arrangement, the device of the end-user may includefunctionality that automatically chooses when to switch from one AP toanother as the end-user device moves about the coverage area of the APsof the wireless network. The end-user device is most likely to connectto another AP when the wireless connection to the current serving AP isdeteriorating (e.g., as indicated by a quality metric such as, forexample, RSSI, a signal to noise ratio (SNR), etc. getting close to apre-determined threshold). Because all of the APs (e.g., FAPs and/orMAPs) share a common SSID, the probability of an end-user devicechoosing another AP that is broadcasting the same SSID as the lastserving AP is high, but it is not a certainty.

In the second example implementation, using a shared SSID and a sharedBSSID, each Wi-Fi enabled network interface of an AP of the network ofmoving things as described herein may broadcast the same SSID and thesame BSSID, and may communicate on the same RF channel/frequency band.In this arrangement, the end-user device may detect all APs (e.g., MAPsand/or FAPs) as if there is only one AP, since the BSSID broadcast byeach of the APs is the same. In such an arrangement, the end-user devicewill stay connected when moving between the APs. However, because allAPs have the same BSSID, each of the APs may receive the wirelesstraffic for all of the other APs, so additional traffic forwardingmanagement between the APs may be used to enable the APs to decide whichAP will handle traffic of any specific end-user device. In addition,having all APs broadcast the same BSSID and operate in the same RFchannel may lead to significant interference.

In the third example implementation, using a shared SSID and aper-end-user-device BSSID, the APs of the network according to aspectsof this disclosure may each broadcast multiple wireless networks havingthe same SSID and communicated via the same RF channel/frequency band,but where each wireless network uses a different BSSID for each end-userdevice. In accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure, onlyone end-user device may connect to each of the wireless networkscorresponding to each BSSID. However, in accordance with other aspectsof the present disclosure, more than one end-user device may connect toeach of such wireless networks. The interference between end-userdevices is reduced relative to the second example implementation havinga shared SSID and a shared BSSID, described above, because the end-userdevices in the third example implementation would be connected tonetworks with different BSSIDs. In this example implementation, when anend-user device wirelessly connects to a first AP (e.g., MAP and/or FAP)of a network of moving things according to the present disclosure, thewireless connection of the end-user device with the first AP may beassociated with a specific BSSID identified in signals broadcast by thefirst AP and received by the end-user device. At some later time, if thenetwork of the present disclosure senses that the quality of thewireless connection of the end-user device with the first AP is nolonger satisfactory and determines that the end-user device should bemoved to a second, more-suitable AP, that second AP may be instructed tobegin broadcasting a wireless network identifying the BSSID associatedwith the connection used by the end-user device with the first AP, andthe first AP may stop broadcasting the network associated with the BSSIDthat served the end-user device via the first AP. In this manner, theend-user device may be moved between the first AP and the second AP,without the end-user device taking part in or being aware of the“handoff” process, and the decision to move the end-user device from thefirst AP to the second AP may be made entirely on the network (e.g., AP)side. In such an example implementation, APs of the network stillcommunicate on the same channel, but only one AP will receive and handletraffic for a given end-user device, thus reducing interference andmanagement overhead.

However, if a second end-user device does connect to a given wirelessnetwork that is already in use by a first end-user device (i.e., anetwork with a BSSID already being used to serve the first end-userdevice), there is no harm done. The aim is to keep the number ofend-user devices that connect to a given wireless network (having aparticular assigned BSSID) as low as possible, to reduce interference.If two end-user devices do use the same wireless network of a first AP(i.e., where both end-user devices communicate using the same BSSID),when one of the end-user devices moves to a second AP and the second APestablishes a wireless network with the BSSID of the second end-userdevice, the first AP may be unable to remove the wireless network havingthat BSSID, because there is still an end-user device using the wirelessnetwork supported by the first AP. During a period of time when eitherthe first or the second end-user device is within communication range ofboth the first AP and the second AP, both the first AP and the second APwill receive traffic from the end-user device, but in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure, only one AP will forward suchtraffic.

FIG. 9 illustrates a handover of an end-user device 930 in a wirelessnetwork 900 having mobile access points MAP 1 910 and MAP 2 920 thatbroadcast a single, shared SSID, but that use a separate BSSID toindividually identify each of the MAP 1 910 and the MAP 2 920, inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. It should benoted that while this example involves two MAPs, either or both of theAPs may be a FAP. The example of FIG. 9 shows the MAP 1 910 providingwireless communication service (e.g., Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad)) over a first wireless coverage area 915 using anSSID S and a BSSID X, and a MAP 2 920 providing wireless communicationservice over a second wireless coverage area 925 using the shared SSID Sand a BSSID Y that is different from BSSID X. As shown in FIG. 9, theend-user device 930 of User A is located within the wireless coveragearea 915 (i.e., location (1)) and may therefore receive service from MAP1 910. The end-user device 930 may detect the signals transmitted by theMAP 1 910 (e.g., in “beacon” frames or other transmissions), and mayattempt to wirelessly connect to the MAP 1 910. The MAP 1 910 may thendetect wireless signals transmitted by the end-user device 930 as partof the connection attempt.

In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, the MAP 1 910 may,in response to the connection attempt by the end-user device 930, querya network controller (NC) (not shown) to which the MAP 1 910 isassigned, to request a valid IP address to assign for use by theend-user device 930. Additional details of an example network controllermay be found, for example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/414,079 titled “Systems and Methods for Managing Mobility of Users ina Network of Moving Things at the Backhaul,” filed on Jan. 24, 2017, thecomplete subject matter of which is hereby incorporated herein, in itsentirety.

The MAP 1 910, upon receiving from the NC a response that includes theIP address assigned to the MAP 1 910, may inform the end-user device 930of the IP address assigned to the end-user device 930, and the wirelessconnection of end-user device 930 with the MAP 1 910 may thereby beestablished. From that point forward, as long as the end-user device 930determines that the wireless signal from the MAP 1 910 is of asufficient quality (e.g., measured by a quality metric such as, forexample, RSSI, SNR, bit/packet error rate, and/or the like) and issatisfactory, the end-user device 930 may remain wirelessly connected tothe MAP 1 910. However, when the end-user device 930 determines that thequality of the wireless connection with the MAP 1 910 is no longersatisfactory (e.g., drops below a pre-determined threshold), theend-user device 930 may begin scanning for an alternative AP havingacceptable signal quality. In the example of FIG. 9, the quality of thewireless connection between the end-user device 930 and the MAP 1 910has deteriorated to a level that is unsatisfactory at the point wherethe end-user device 930 reaches location (2). If no alternative AP isfound by the end-user device 930, the end-user device 930 may stayconnected to the MAP 1 910 until the signal deteriorates further, theconnection with the MAP 1 910 become unusable, and the connection drops.

If, however, an alternative AP (e.g., MAP or FAP) is found by theend-user device 930, the end-user device 930 may attempt to establish awireless connection with the alternative AP. In the illustration of FIG.9, the end-user device 930 may, for example, discover the wirelesssignal of the MAP 2 920 and, in response, may end its connection withthe MAP 1 910 and attempt to establish a wireless connection with theMAP 2 920. In accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure,the MAP 2 920 may then query the NC to which MAP 2 920 is assigned (notshown), to request the assignment of an IP address for use by theend-user device 930. Further details of the operation of an NC may befound, for example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/414,079titled “Systems and Methods for Managing Mobility of Users in a Networkof Moving Things at the Backhaul,” filed on Jan. 24, 2017, the completesubject matter of which is hereby incorporated herein, in its entirety.In accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, theend-user device 930 may then receive an IP address from the MAP 2 920and, in response, may establish the wireless connection with the MAP 2920. In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, the IPaddress provided by the NC of the MAP 2 920 to the MAP 2 920 may be thesame IP address assigned by the NC serving MAP 1 910 that had beenshared with the NC serving the MAP 2 920.

Following establishment of the wireless connection with the MAP 2 920,the end-user device 930 may then remain connected to the MAP 2 920 as ittravels within the coverage area of MAP 2 920 to, for example, location3. By permitting the end-user device 930 to control handover from MAP 1910 to MAP 2 920 of FIG. 9, the control and management requirements uponthe MAP 1 910 and the MAP 2 920 are reduced. However, the algorithmsused for initiating the handover process by end-user devices such as theend-user device 930, as well as those for selecting the next AP (e.g.,MAP or FAP), are not necessarily optimized from the perspective ofproviding seamless wireless connectivity and maximizing end-user qualityof experience (QoE) to User A of end-user device 930. For example, thehandover from MAP 1 910 to MAP 2 920 may be primarily controlled byalgorithms of the end-user device 930. Thus, the handover may then varyfrom end-user device to end-user device, and an end-user device may onlyinitiate a handover when its wireless connection to another element ofthe network of moving things is already too poor to maintain arequired/desired level of quality, or the end-user device may select anAP having a different SSID that may not be a part of the serving networkof moving things (e.g., if the end-user device detects such a networkwhen near the edges of the network of moving things, or when in an areain which the signal(s) from other wireless networks are of betterquality), which may lead to loss of mobility and session continuity forUser A of end-user device 930.

FIG. 10 illustrates a handover of an end-user device 1030 in a wirelessnetwork 1000 using a shared SSID, and a shared BSSID used to identifyeach of two mobile access points MAP 1 1010 and MAP 2 1020, inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In theexample of FIG. 10, MAP 1 1010 and MAP 2 1020 may broadcast the sameSSID and the same BSSID, and may be operating on the same RFchannel/frequency band. The end-user device 1030 (at location 1), maydetect signals transmitted by a Wi-Fi network interface of MAP 1 1010(e.g., a “beacon” or other transmission broadcast in the coverage area1015 illustrated by the dashed line), and may attempt to establish awireless connection (e.g., may authenticate, associate, etc.) with theMAP 1 1010. In accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure, the MAP 1 1010 may detect signals sent by the end-userdevice 1030 in the attempt to establish the wireless connection and, inresponse, the MAP 1 1010 may query the NC to which the MAP 1 1010 isassigned (not shown), to request a valid IP address to assign to theend-user device 1030. Upon receiving a response containing the assignedIP address from its NC, the MAP 1 1010 may then inform the end-userdevice 1030 of the IP address assigned to the end-user device 1030, andthe wireless connection may thereby be established between the MAP 11010 and the end-user device 1030.

As long as the wireless connection between the MAP 1 1010 and theend-user device 1030 remains of sufficient quality, the end-user device1030 may remain in a wireless connection with the MAP 1 1010, and User Aof end-user device 1030 has a satisfactory experience using the wirelesscommunication provided by the MAP 1 1010. As the end-user device 1030migrates toward location 2, however, an AP in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure (e.g., the MAP 1 1010) may determine that thequality of the wireless connection with the end-user device 1030 isdeteriorating (e.g., that one or more quality metrics such as, forexample, the RSSI, SNR, error rate(s), QoS, QoE, indicates a wirelessconnection quality below a certain level/threshold).

FIG. 11 illustrates a network 1100 in which a MAP 1 1110 determines thata first wireless connection between the MAP 1 1110 and an end-userdevice 1130 (e.g., a Wi-Fi link) has deteriorated to a level of qualitythat is unsatisfactory, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent disclosure. The illustration of FIG. 11 shows an examplecoverage area of a first wireless network of the MAP 1 1110 used toserve the end-user device 1130 (the dashed line 1115), and the coverageareas (the dashed lines 1125, 1145) of the corresponding wirelessnetworks (those broadcasting the same SSID and BSID in supported by MAP2 1120 and MAP 3 1140, respectively, suitable for serving the end-userdevice 1130. The MAP 1 1110, MAP 2 1120, and the end-user device 1130 ofFIG. 11 may, for example, correspond to the MAP 1 1010, MAP 2 1020, andthe end-user device 1030 of FIG. 10, respectively. In response todetermining that the quality of the wireless connection between MAP 11110 and the end-user device 1130 is less than satisfactory, the MAP 11110 may use a second wireless network (e.g., a Dedicated Short RangeCommunications (DSRC) network (e.g., IEEE 802.11p)) to communicate withthe neighboring MAPs 1120, 1140 such as, for example, those APs withinthe wireless communication range (the solid line 1127), to determinewhether any of the neighboring APs has information that identifies an APthat may be capable of wirelessly communicating with the end-user device1130 and provide a better wireless connection for the end-user device1130 that the MAP 1 1110. Such communication may, for example, comprisethe MAP 1 1110 sending to neighboring APs (e.g., MAPs 1120, 1140), abroadcast message that contains the context of the end-user device 1130(e.g., the MAC address and IP address of the end-user device 1130, andindicator(s) of wireless signal quality received by the MAP 1 1110 fromthe end-user device 1130 such as, for example, RSSI, signal-to-noiseratio, error rate(s), etc., for the wireless connection with the MAP 11110). The MAP 1 1110 may also include in the broadcast message, thecontext of the MAP 1 1110 (e.g., the current global navigation satelliteservice (GNSS)/GPS coordinates of the MAP 1 1110, the current velocityof the MAP 1 1110, etc.). The neighboring APs may then, in response,inform MAP 1 1110 accordingly, as shown in FIG. 11. Based on the reportsfrom the neighboring APs, the MAP 1 1110 may select the neighboring APthat is reporting the received wireless signal having the best quality(e.g., highest indicated received signal strength (RSSI), SNR, lowesterror rate, etc.) from end-user device 1130. In this situation, the MAP1 1110 may inform the selected neighboring AP, MAP 2 1120, that it is toprovide wireless service to the end-user device 1130.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of an example network 1200 in which a MAP 11210 has determined that a MAP 2 1220, having a certain reportedreceived signal quality for end-user device 1230 in wireless coveragearea 1225, is the most suitable AP to provide a wireless connection forthe end-user device 1230, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent disclosure. The MAP 1 1210, MAP 2 1220, and end-user device 1230may correspond to, for example, the MAP 1 1110, MAP 2 1120, and end-userdevice 1130 of FIG. 11. As discussed above with regard to FIG. 11, theMAP 1 1210 of FIG. 12 may have determined that MAP 2 1220 reported toMAP 1 1210 receiving a signal from the end-user device 1230. Thereceived signal was determined by MAP 1 1210 to have the mostsuitable/best quality for serving the end-user device 1230 of signalsfrom all responding AP neighbors of the MAP 1 1210 receiving the signalfrom end-user device 1230. As discussed above, in response to thedetermination by the MAP 1 1210 that MAP 2 1220 is the AP neighborreceiving the most suitable/best quality signal from the end-user device1230 of all AP neighbors of MAP 1 1210, the MAP 1 1210 may inform theMAP 2 1220 that MAP 2 1220 is assigned to provide wireless service tothe end-user device 1230, and the MAP 1 1210 may then cease providingwireless service to the end-user device 1230.

FIG. 13 is an illustration of an example network 1300 in which a MAP 11310 has determined that a MAP 2 1320, having a certain reportedreceived signal quality for end-user device 1330 in wireless coveragearea 1325, is the most suitable AP to provide a wireless connection forthe end-user device 1330, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent disclosure. In response to such a determination, the MAP 1 1310may send to the MAP 2 1320, via a separate/second RF wireless networksuch as, for example, a DSRC network supported by the APs of FIG. 13,MAP 1 1310, MAP 2 1320, MAP 3 1340, information identifying the end-userdevice 1330 to the newly selected serving AP MAP 2 1320. Suchinformation may include, for example, a MAC address, an IP address,and/or other addressing/identifying information of the end-user device1330. The MAP 2 1320 may then acknowledge the new assignment of end-userdevice 1330 to MAP 2 1320, and may inform the NC to which MAP 2 1320 isassigned that MAP 2 1320 now “owns” end-user device 1330. The MAP 2 1320may again measure one or more quality indicators for the signalsreceived from the end-user device 1330, to confirm that the MAP 2 1320is more suitable than MAP 1 1310 for handling wireless communication forthe end-user device 1330, and then MAP 2 1320 may send a message to theMAP 1 1310, signaling that the MAP 2 1320 is now serving the end-userdevice 1330. Finally, the MAP 1 1310 may advertise/broadcast toneighboring APs that received the initial broadcast message by MAP 11310 (e.g., MAP 3 1340) that end-user device 1330 has disconnected fromMAP 1 1310 and is now connected to and served by MAP 2 1320.

In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, once theneighboring APs have received the broadcast from MAP 1 1310 informingthem that the end-user device 1330 is now being served by MAP 2 1320,only MAP 2 1320 will forward traffic for end-user device 1330. The otherAPs (e.g., MAP 1 1310 and MAP 3 1340 of FIG. 13) that receive trafficfor end-user device 1330 will drop it. An advantage of this shared SSIDand shared BSSID implementation is that a network of moving things inaccordance with the present disclosure is able to fully control when anend-user device (e.g., end-user device 1330) performs a handover. Thenetwork is able to sense at all times which AP is best suited to provideservice to any given end-user device and keep that end-user devicealways connected with the best quality service available. In accordancewith some aspects of the present disclosure, when all of the APs arebroadcasting the same SSID using the same BSSID on the same channel, allin-range APs may receive the traffic transmitted by a given end-userdevice, even though such traffic is only forwarded by one of thein-range APs. For example, in the illustrative arrangement of FIG. 13,MAP 1 1310 is still seeing the traffic generated by end-user device1330, even though MAP 2 1320 is receiving and forwarding such traffictowards the destination in the network or a connected network (e.g., theInternet). In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, Map 11310 does, however, drop any traffic received from the end-user device1310.

FIG. 14 is an illustration of an example network 1400 having threeaccess points MAP 1 1410, MAP 2 1420, and MAP 3 1440 that employ ashared SSID and a per-end-user device BSSID, in accordance with variousaspects of the present disclosure. A shared SSID and per-end-user-deviceBSSID implementation is similar in some ways to the shared SSID andshared BSSID implementation of FIG. 10 through FIG. 13. However, in thearrangement of FIG. 14, the BSSID used by an AP (e.g., MAP 1 1410, MAP 21420, MAP 3 1440) in wirelessly communicating with an end-user devicesuch as, for example, the end-user device 1430) is different for eachend-user device served by the network. In accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure, each end-user device is assigned its own BSSID thatis only active on the AP that currently “owns” the end-user device. Thismechanism is managed among the APs. In accordance with various aspectsof the present disclosure, the use of the circuitry of a single wirelessnetwork interface for the support of multiple wireless networks, whereeach network uses its own BSSID, may be achieved by, for example,virtualizing the wireless network interface in the operating system codeand/or software/firmware that controls the wireless network interfacecircuitry.

For example, the APs of FIG. 14 (MAP 1 1410, MAP 2 1420, MAP 3 1440)support a set of wireless networks (e.g., one or more Wi-Fi (IEEE802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad) networks) in which each wireless network interfacebroadcasts the same SSID, but uses a different BSSID for each end-userdevice being served. In accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure, an end-user device (e.g., end-user device 1430) of User Amay attempt to establish a connection (e.g., may authenticate,associate, etc.) with one of the wireless networks that the end-userdevice has detected (e.g., the MAP 1 1410 transmitting SSID S and BSSIDW). Such an establishment may, in general, progress in a manner similarto that described in regard to FIGS. 9-13, above. In regard to thearrangement of FIG. 14, however, at some point after the end-user device1430 establishes a wireless connection with the MAP 1 1410 and theend-user device 1430 is receiving service from the MAP 1 1410, the MAP 11410 may determine that the quality of the wireless connection with theend-user device 1430 has deteriorated so that the quality of thewireless signal/service received by the end-user device 1430 is nolonger satisfactory. In response, the MAP 1 1410 may decide that theend-user device 1430 should be moved to another AP, and in response tothat decision, the MAP 1 1410 may broadcast information to neighboringAPs over, for example, a second wireless network (e.g., to MAP 2 1420and MAP 3 1440 using a DSRC network having a coverage area 1428) in amanner similar to that used in the process described above in regard toFIG. 11. However, in the situation now discussed, the broadcast over thesecond wireless network may also indicate the BSSID currently beingemployed by MAP 1 1410 in providing wireless service to the end-userdevice 1430.

In order to evaluate the quality of the wireless signal of the end-userdevice 1430, neighboring APs that received the broadcast from the MAP 11410 via the second wireless network may temporarily establish awireless network (e.g., a Wi-Fi network) using the BSSID broadcast tothe neighboring APs by the MAP 1 1410 (that is currently serving theend-user device 1430). In accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure, only those APs (e.g., FAPs and/or MAPs) located with acertain range of distance (e.g., the range of distance may bedynamically determined based on the speed of the end-user device 1430and/or the APs (e.g., where one or more of the neighboring APs aremobile APs (MAPs)) may process the information. In accordance withaspects of the present disclosure, each AP may know its currentgeographic location, and may share such location information withneighboring APs and/or the Cloud, so that APs may determine their ownlocations and those of neighboring APs. Those APs within the certainrange of distance may each establish, for a certain brief period of time(e.g., on the order of milliseconds, tens of milliseconds, or hundredsof milliseconds), a temporary wireless network using the BSSID currentlyemployed by the MAP 1 1410 in serving the end-user device 1430. Duringthis certain brief period of time, the neighboring APs within thecertain range of distance may measure the quality of the signal (e.g.,the RSSI, SNR, error rate, etc.) received from the end-user device 1430.FIG. 15 illustrates an example scenario in accordance with the presentdisclosure, in which traffic destined for the end-user device 1530 viaserving MAP 1 1510 with coverage area 1515 may be blocked (e.g., changesto IP tables at the MAP 1 1510 may be temporarily modified), while thetemporary network is enabled at the neighboring MAP 2 1520 havingcoverage area 1525.

In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, a neighboring AP(e.g., the MAP 2 1420 or MAP 3 1440 of FIG. 14) may determine that ithas at least a pre-determined level or threshold of quality (e.g., RSSI,SNR, error rate, etc.) for the signal received from the end-user device1430. In response, the neighboring AP may then notify the MAP 1 1410 ofthe quality of the signal from the end-user device 1430 by replying tothe broadcast of the MAP 1 1410 (e.g., via the second wireless network(e.g., DSRC)). In accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure, each neighboring AP may apply one or more signal qualitythresholds to determine whether certain received signal qualityconditions for the end-user device are present at the neighboring AP,before a reply to the broadcast on the second wireless network may besent by the neighboring AP to the AP currently serving the end-userdevice. For example, in the context of FIG. 14, the sending of a replyby the neighboring APs (e.g., MAP 2 1420, MAP 3 1440) to the broadcastof the serving AP (e.g., MAP 1 1410) may depend on the current qualityof the signal received from the end-user device 1430 by serving MAP 11410 (e.g., RSSI, SNR, error rate, etc.) and/or other considerations.

For example, based on the arrangement of FIG. 14, the MAP 1 1410 maycurrently measure a received signal strength of −70 dB from the end-userdevice 1430. That signal quality measurement may accompany the broadcastsent by the MAP 1 1410 to the neighboring APs within the certain rangeof distance (e.g., the MAP 2 1420 and MAP 3 1440). In accordance withaspects of the present disclosure, by using that current measurement ofquality of the signal received by MAP 1 1410 from the end-user device1430 shared in the broadcast on the second wireless network, each of thereceiving neighbor APs (e.g., the MAP 2 1420 and MAP 3 1440) may, forexample, reply only if the receiving neighbor AP measures −60 dB orbetter, when the measurement of quality of the signal from the end-userdevice 1430 is greater than −85 dB. However, the neighboring APs may,for example, always reply when MAP 1 1410 is currently measuring aquality of the signal received from the end-user device 1430 of −85 dBor below (which may be very close to a signal quality at which failureof the wireless connection between the end-user device 1430 and theserving MAP 1 1410 will occur), because any expected improvement insignal quality (e.g., RSSI, SNR, error rate, etc.) gained throughservice by a different AP may warrant a reply and a potential move ofthe end-user device 1430 to a new serving AP (e.g., MAP 2 1420 or MAP 31440).

In accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, after theMAP 1 1410 receives one or more replies from the neighboring APs (e.g.,MAP 2 1420 and/or MAP 3 1440), the MAP 1 1410 may then select from theresponding APs, the AP that is receiving a signal from the MAP 1 1410having the best quality. The MAP 1 1410 may then inform the selectedneighboring AP (e.g., MAP 2 1420), and the selected AP (e.g., MAP 21420) may then establish a wireless network using the BSSID sent in thebroadcast over the second wireless network, which is the same BSSID asthat of the wireless network currently serving the end-user device 1430on the MAP 1 1410. Once the wireless network is established on theselected AP (e.g., in this example, MAP 2 1420), the MAP 1 1410 dropsits wireless network that uses that BSSID. At that point, only theselected AP (i.e., MAP 2 1420) will be supporting a wireless networkusing the same BSSID used by MAP 1 1410 to provide wireless service tothe end-user device 1430, and therefore only the selected AP (i.e., MAP2 1420) receives traffic for the end-user device 1430.

As demonstrated above, an advantage of the shared SSID andper-end-user-device BSSID approach of the present disclosure is thatinterference between end-user user devices and/or APs (e.g., MAPs and/orFAPs) may be reduced, when compared to interference that may occur whenusing wireless networks employing a shared SSID and a shared BSSID. Onthe other hand, the shared SSID and per-user-device BSSID approachrequires not only managing the user device “owner,” but also the severalWi-Fi networks since, ideally, each MAP will have as many Wi-Fi networksas user devices connected to it.

FIG. 15 is an illustration of an end-user device 1530 located within therespective coverage areas 1515, 1525 of two access points MAP1 1510 andMAP 2 1520, in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. In the illustration of FIG. 15, the access point MAP 1 1510is currently handling the communication of end-user data with theend-user device 1530 of User A. The example of FIG. 15 illustrates ascenario in which traffic destined for the end-user device 1530 viaserving MAP 1 1510 with coverage area 1515 may be temporarily blocked(e.g., changes to IP tables at the MAP 1 1510 may be temporarilymodified), while a temporary network is enabled at the neighboring MAP 21520 having coverage area 1525. The MAP 1 1510 may communicate withneighboring access points (e.g., MAP 2 1520) to determine which, if any,are able to communicate satisfactorily with the end-user device 1530,and may request that the MAP 2 1520 take over communication with theend-user device 1530. It should be noted that, in accordance withvarious aspects of the present disclosure, only one of MAP 1 1510 andMAP 2 1520 communicate end-user data with the end-user device 1530 atany point in time.

FIGS. 16A-16B illustrate an example method of operating an access point,in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The stepsof the method of FIGS. 16A-16B may be performed by an AP such as, forexample, any of the APs illustrated in or discussed in reference to thenetworks and systems of FIGS. 1-15.

The method of FIGS. 16A-16B begins at block 1605 of FIG. 16A. At block1605, a first access point of a network in accordance with the presentdisclosure (e.g., FAP or MAP) may allocate a unique wireless networkidentifier for use with a wireless coverage area or region supportingwireless communication with end-user devices such as those describedherein. The first access point may be, for example, a mobile accesspoint such as the mobile AP 840 of FIG. 8. Then, at block 1610, thefirst access point may broadcast the wireless network identifier usingat least one radio frequency (RF) interface. Such an RF interface maycomprise two or more RF interfaces that may each support one or more RFchannels and corresponding communication protocols including, forexample, the radio spectrum and communication protocols used for Wi-Fiand DSRC communication methodologies. Next, at block 1615, the firstaccess point may receive, from an end-user device, signals initiating awireless connection for transfer of end-user data by the end-user deviceusing the at least one RF interface of the first access point. Then, atblock 1620, the first access point may request assignment of a networkaddress to the end-user device. Such a network address may, for example,be an Internet Protocol (IP) address, and may be allocated to theend-user device by a network node such as, for example, the networkcontroller 710 of FIG. 7. Such a network controller may also beresponsible for routing end-user data for the end-user devices served bythe first access point.

Next, at block 1625, the first access point may receive the requestednetwork address, and may forward the received network identifier to theend-user device. Then, at block 1630, the first access point may enablewireless communication of end-user data by the end user device via theat least one RF interface using the network address and the wirelessnetwork identifier. At block 1635, during a communication session withthe end-user device, the first access point may measure, by the at leastone RF interface, quality of a wireless signal received from theend-user device, and at block 1640, the first access device maydetermine whether a quality of signal from the end-user device issatisfactory. Such a determination may be based upon one or more qualitythresholds regarding signal qualities such as, for example, a receivedsignal strength indicator (RSSI), a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), anerror rate, or other suitable metric. If, at block 1640, it isdetermined that the quality of the signal received from the end-userdevice is satisfactory, the first access point may continue thecommunication session at block 1630, discussed above. If, however, it isdetermined, at block 1640, that the quality of the signal received fromthe end-user device is not satisfactory, the first access point may passcontrol to block 1645.

At block 1645, the first access point may, for example, broadcast toneighboring access points via the at least one RF interface, thewireless network identifier for the end-user device, the quality ofsignal received from end-user device by the at least one RF interface,and a request for measurement of quality of signals received from theend-user device at the neighboring access points. The broadcast of sucha request may, for example, be transmitted using a portion of RFspectrum and a communication protocol different from the RF spectrum andcommunication protocol used for communication between the first accesspoint and any served end-user devices. Then, at block 1650, the firstaccess point may receive, from the neighboring access points via the atleast one RF interface, measurements by the neighboring access points ofsignal quality for the end-user device. Next, at block 1655, the firstaccess point may determine the identity of those neighboring accesspoints that have received a signal of satisfactory quality from theend-user device. In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure,each of the neighboring access points may perform an evaluation ofquality of signals that the neighboring access point received from theend-user device, and may respond to the broadcast request (of block1645), based on that evaluation. At block 1660, the first access pointmay, based on responses from the neighboring access points, determinewhether any of the neighboring access points have received signals ofsatisfactory quality from the end-user device. If no neighboring accesspoints have received signals of satisfactory quality from the end-userdevice, then control may then pass to block 1630, discussed above. If,however, one or more neighboring access points received signals ofsatisfactory quality from the end-user device, then control may continueat block 1665.

At block 1665, the first access point may send, to a selected one of theidentified neighboring access point(s) via the at least one RFinterface, a request that the selected access point provide wirelessservice to the end-user device using the wireless network identifier viathe at least one RF interface. Then, at block 1670, the first accesspoint may end transmission of the wireless network identifier andend-user data of the end-user device by the first access point via theat least one RF interface. It should be noted that the networkcontroller previously responsible for routing end-user data of theend-user device while served by the first access point may route suchend-user data through a network controller to which the newly selectedaccess point (of the neighboring access points) is assigned, if it isdifferent than the current serving network controller, to enable theselected access point to maintain communication of end-user data for theend-user device. In accordance with the example of FIGS. 16A-16B,control of the first access point may then pass to block 1605, discussedabove.

Various aspects of the present disclosure may be seen in a method ofoperating a plurality of access points of a network of moving things.Each access point of the plurality of access points may comprise atleast one radio frequency (RF) interface enabling wireless mobilecommunication by a plurality of end-user devices with one another andwith remote resources accessible to the network of moving things. Such amethod may be performed at a first access point of the plurality ofaccess points. The method may comprise assigning a network identifierrepresenting a region of wireless network access supported by the firstaccess point for communication with the plurality of end-user devices,and broadcasting the network identifier using the at least one RFinterface of the first access point. The method may also comprisereceiving, from a first end-user device of the plurality of end-userdevices using the at least one RF interface, a signal representing arequest by the first end-user device to establish a wireless connectionconfigured for communication of first end-user data via the first accesspoint. The method may request allocation of a network address to thefirst end-user device to enable communication of the first end-user datavia the plurality of access points and through the network of movingthings, and may wirelessly communicate the first end-user data of thefirst end-user device via the first access point, using the networkidentifier and the network address. The method may also determine, bythe first access point, whether a quality of wireless communicationbetween the at least one RF interface and the first end-user device isabove a certain quality threshold.

In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, if the quality ofwireless communication between the at least one RF interface and thefirst end-user device is above the certain quality threshold, the methodmay continue wirelessly communicating the first end-user data of thefirst end-user device via the first access point, using the networkidentifier and the network address, and determining, by the first accesspoint, whether the quality of wireless communication between the at lastone RF interface and the first end-user device is above a certainthreshold. If the quality of wireless communication between the at leastone RF interface and the first end-user device is not above the certainquality threshold, the method may perform selecting one particularaccess point of the one or more neighboring access points; transmitting,to the particular access point, a notification requesting the particularaccess point to begin communication of the first end-user data with thefirst end-user device; and ending, by the first access point,communication of the first end-user data with the first end-user device.

In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, the plurality ofaccess points may comprise access points that are at a fixed geographiclocation known to the respective access point, and access pointsinstalled in vehicles that are mobile and at a current geographiclocation known to the respective access point. The assigned networkidentifier may be the same for all access points in the network ofmoving things, and the assigned network identifier may be unique to eachend-user device being served by the network of moving things. Thenetwork identifier may comprise a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID)of an IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, or IEEE 802.11acprotocol. The network identifier may be transferred to the particularaccess point when the notification requesting the particular accesspoint to begin communication of the first end-user data with the firstend-user device is sent. The network address may be an Internet Protocol(IP) address that is assigned to the end-user device by a node of thenetwork of moving things that routes end-user data for a particularend-user device according to the IP address assigned to the particularend-user devices by the node.

In a method in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure, selecting one particular access point of the one or moreneighboring access points may comprise sending, to the one or moreneighboring access points of the plurality of access points via the atleast one RF interface, a request to provide to the first access point,a respective measurement of quality of wireless communication of thefirst end-user device made at the one or more neighboring access points.The method may also comprise receiving, from the one or more neighboringaccess points at the first access point, the measurements of quality ofwireless communication of the first end-user device; and selecting theone particular access point of the one or more neighboring accesspoints, based on the received measurements of quality of wirelesscommunication of the first end-user device. The one or more neighboringaccess points may be selected from the plurality of access point basedon the geographic location of the first access point. Each access pointof the plurality of access points wirelessly may share its geographiclocation with the remaining access points of the plurality of accesspoints. Wireless communication between the plurality of access pointsand the plurality of end-user devices may use a first radio frequencychannel and a first communication protocol, and wireless communicationbetween the first access point and the one or more neighboring accesspoints may use a second radio frequency channel and a secondcommunication protocol.

Additional aspects of the present disclosure may be observed in anon-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon aplurality of code sections. Each code section may comprise a pluralityof instructions executable by one or more processors. The executableinstructions may cause the one or more processors to perform a method ofoperating a first access point of a plurality of access points of anetwork of moving things, where each access point of the plurality ofaccess points may comprise at least one radio frequency (RF) interfaceenabling wireless mobile communication by a plurality of end-userdevices with one another and with remote resources accessible to thenetwork of moving things. The steps of such a method may be as describedabove.

Further aspects of the present disclosure may be found in a system foran access point of a network of moving things comprising a plurality ofaccess points. The system may comprise one or more processors operablycoupled to at least one radio frequency (RF) interface enabling wirelessmobile communication by a plurality of end-user devices with one anotherand with remote resources accessible to the network of moving things.The one or more processors may be operable to, at least, perform thesteps of a method such as the method described above.

In accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, examples of thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided in U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,192, titled “CommunicationNetwork of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22, 2015, which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, the networksand/or components thereof presented herein are provided with systems andmethods for integrating such networks and/or components with othernetworks and systems, non-limiting examples of which are provided inU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/221,997, titled “IntegratedCommunication Network for A Network of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22,2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Also, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for synchronizing such networks and/or components,non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/222,016, titled “Systems and Methods forSynchronizing a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22, 2015, whichis hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for managing such networks and/or components,non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/222,042, titled “Systems and Methods forManaging a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22, 2015, which ishereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for monitoring such networks and/or components,non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/222,066, titled “Systems and Methods forMonitoring a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22, 2015, which ishereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Still further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure,the networks and/or components thereof presented herein are providedwith systems and methods for detecting and/or classifying anomalies insuch networks and/or components, non-limiting examples of which areprovided in U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,077, titled“Systems and Methods for Detecting and Classifying Anomalies in aNetwork of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22, 2015, which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Yet further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for managing mobility in such networks and/orcomponents, non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,098, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Managing Mobility in a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22,2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Also, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for managing connectivity in such networks and/orcomponents, non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,121, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Managing Connectivity a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22,2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for collecting sensor data in such networks and/orcomponents, non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,135, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Collecting Sensor Data in a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Sep.22, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

Further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for interfacing with such networks and/orcomponents, non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,145, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Interfacing with a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Sep. 22,2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Still further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure,the networks and/or components thereof presented herein are providedwith systems and methods for interfacing with a user of such networksand/or components, non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,150, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Interfacing with a User of a Network of Moving Things,” filed onSep. 22, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

Yet further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for data storage and processing in such networksand/or components, non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,168, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Data Storage and Processing for a Network of Moving Things,” filedon Sep. 22, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

Also, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for vehicle traffic management in such networksand/or components, non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,183, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Vehicle Traffic Management in a Network of Moving Things,” filed onSep. 22, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for environmental management in such networks and/orcomponents, non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,186, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Environmental Management in a Network of Moving Things,” filed onSep. 22, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

Further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for managing port or shipping operation in suchnetworks and/or components, non-limiting examples of which are providedin U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,190, titled “Systems andMethods for Port Management in a Network of Moving Things,” filed onSep. 22, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

Also, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for enhancing the accuracy of positioning orlocation information based at least in part on historical data,non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/244,828, titled “Utilizing Historical Data toCorrect GPS Data in a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Oct. 22, 2015,which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for enhancing the accuracy of position or locationof positioning or location information based at least in part on theutilization of anchors, non-limiting examples of which are provided inU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/244,930, titled “Using Anchorsto Correct GPS Data in a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Oct. 22,2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for providing communication between applications,non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/246,368, titled “Systems and Methods forInter-Application Communication in a Network of Moving Things,” filed onOct. 26, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

Still further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure,the networks and/or components thereof presented herein are providedwith systems and methods for probing, analyzing and/or validatingcommunication, non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/246,372, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Probing and Validating Communication in a Network of Moving Things,”filed on Oct. 26, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

Yet further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for adapting communication rate, non-limitingexamples of which are provided in U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/250,544, titled “Adaptive Rate Control for Vehicular Networks,” filedon Nov. 4, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

Also, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for reconfiguring and adapting hardware,non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/273,878, titled “Systems and Methods forReconfiguring and Adapting Hardware in a Network of Moving Things,”filed on Dec. 31, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for optimizing the gathering of data, non-limitingexamples of which are provided in U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/253,249, titled “Systems and Methods for Optimizing Data Gathering ina Network of Moving Things,” filed on Nov. 10, 2015, which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for performing delay tolerant networking,non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/257,421, titled “Systems and Methods for DelayTolerant Networking in a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Nov. 19,2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Still further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure,the networks and/or components thereof presented herein are providedwith systems and methods for improving the coverage and throughput ofmobile access points, non-limiting examples of which are provided inU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/265,267, titled “Systems andMethods for Improving Coverage and Throughput of Mobile Access Points ina Network of Moving Things,” filed on Dec. 9, 2015, which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Yet further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for coordinating channel utilization, non-limitingexamples of which are provided in U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/270,858, titled “Channel Coordination in a Network of Moving Things,”filed on Dec. 22, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

Also, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for implementing a network coded mesh network in thenetwork of moving things, non-limiting examples of which are provided inU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/257,854, titled “Systems andMethods for Network Coded Mesh Networking in a Network of MovingThings,” filed on Nov. 20, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for improving the coverage of fixed access points,non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/260,749, titled “Systems and Methods forImproving Fixed Access Point Coverage in a Network of Moving Things,”filed on Nov. 30, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

Further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for managing mobility controllers and their networkinteractions, non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/273,715, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Managing Mobility Controllers and Their Network Interactions in aNetwork of Moving Things,” filed on Dec. 31, 2015, which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Still further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure,the networks and/or components thereof presented herein are providedwith systems and methods for managing and/or triggering handovers ofmobile access points, non-limiting examples of which are provided inU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/281,432, titled “Systems andMethods for Managing and Triggering Handovers of Mobile Access Points ina Network of Moving Things,” filed on Jan. 21, 2016, which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Yet further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for performing captive portal-related control andmanagement, non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/268,188, titled “CaptivePortal-related Control and Management in a Network of Moving Things,”filed on Dec. 16, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

Also, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for extrapolating high-value data, non-limitingexamples of which are provided in U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/270,678, titled “Systems and Methods to Extrapolate High-Value Datafrom a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Dec. 22, 2015, which ishereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for providing remote software updating anddistribution, non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/272,750, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Remote Software Update and Distribution in a Network of MovingThings,” filed on Dec. 30, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

Further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for providing remote configuration updating anddistribution, non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/278,662, titled “Systems and Methodsfor Remote Configuration Update and Distribution in a Network of MovingThings,” filed on Jan. 14, 2016, which is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

Still further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure,the networks and/or components thereof presented herein are providedwith systems and methods for adapting the network, for exampleautomatically, based on user feedback, non-limiting examples of whichare provided in U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/286,243, titled“Systems and Methods for Adapting a Network of Moving Things Based onUser Feedback,” filed on Jan. 22, 2016, which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

Yet further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for enhancing and/or guaranteeing data integritywhen building or performing data analytics, non-limiting examples ofwhich are provided in U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/278,764,titled “Systems and Methods to Guarantee Data Integrity When BuildingData Analytics in a Network of Moving Things,” Jan. 14, 2016, which ishereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Also, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for performing self-initialization and/or automatedbootstrapping of mobile access points, non-limiting examples of whichare provided in U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/286,515, titled“Systems and Methods for Self-Initialization and Automated Bootstrappingof Mobile Access Points in a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Jan.25, 2016, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for managing power supply and/or utilization,non-limiting examples of which are provided in U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/295,602, titled “Systems and Methods for PowerManagement in a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Feb. 16, 2016, whichis hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Further, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, thenetworks and/or components thereof presented herein are provided withsystems and methods for automating and easing the installation and setupof the infrastructure, non-limiting examples of which are provided inU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/299,269, titled “Systems andMethods for Automating and Easing the Installation and Setup of theInfrastructure Supporting a Network of Moving Things,” filed on Feb. 24,2016, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In summary, various aspects of this disclosure provide communicationnetwork architectures, systems and methods for supporting a network ofmobile nodes, for example comprising a combination of mobile andstationary nodes. As a non-limiting example, various aspects of thisdisclosure provide communication network architectures, systems, andmethods for supporting a dynamically configurable communication networkcomprising a complex array of both static and moving communication nodes(e.g., the Internet of moving things). While the foregoing has beendescribed with reference to certain aspects and examples, it will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be madeand equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope ofthe disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt aparticular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosurewithout departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that thedisclosure not be limited to the particular example(s) disclosed, butthat the disclosure will include all examples falling within the scopeof the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a plurality of accesspoints of a network of moving things, each access point of the pluralityof access points comprising at least one radio frequency (RF) interfaceenabling wireless mobile communication by a plurality of end-userdevices with one another and with remote resources accessible to thenetwork of moving things, the method comprising: at a first access pointof the plurality of access points, broadcasting a network identifierusing the at least one RF interface of the first access point, thenetwork identifier representing a region of wireless network accesssupported by the first access point for communication with the pluralityof end-user devices, the first access point being at a geographiclocation having satellite-based coordinates known to the first accesspoint; establishing a wireless connection configured for communicationof first end-user data by a first end-user device of the plurality ofend-user devices, via the at least one RF interface of the first accesspoint; determining, by the first access point, whether a quality ofwireless communication between the at least one RF interface and thefirst end-user device is below a certain quality threshold; and if thequality of wireless communication between the at least one RF interfaceand the first end-user device is determined to be below the certainquality threshold, causing evaluation, by a set of access points of theplurality of access points that are within a certain distance range ofthe first access point, of a quality of wireless communication of theend-user device with each access point of the set of access points, bywirelessly broadcasting information comprising the satellite-basedcoordinates of the first access point to the plurality of access points,processing responses received from respective access points of the setof access points in response to the broadcast information, each receivedresponse comprising a measurement of a quality of a signal received bythe respective access point from the end-user device, selecting oneparticular access point from the set of access points, based uponreceived responses to the broadcast information, transmitting, to theparticular access point, a notification requesting the particular accesspoint to begin communication of the first end-user data with the firstend-user device, and ending, by the first access point, communication ofthe first end-user data with the first end-user device.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the plurality of access points comprisesaccess points that are each at a respective fixed geographic locationhaving satellite-based coordinates known to the respective access point,and access points installed in vehicles that are mobile and at arespective current geographic location having satellite-basedcoordinates known to the respective access point.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the network identifier is the same for allaccess points in the network of moving things.
 4. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein the network identifier is unique to each end-userdevice being served by the network of moving things.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the network identifier comprises a BasicService Set Identifier (BSSID) of an IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE802.11n, or IEEE 802.11ac protocol.
 6. The method according to claim 1,wherein the network identifier is transferred to the particular accesspoint when the broadcast of information is sent to the particular accesspoint by the first access point.
 7. The method according to claim 1,wherein a network address that comprises an Internet Protocol (IP)address is assigned to the end-user device by a node of the network ofmoving things that routes end-user data for a particular end-user deviceaccording to the IP address assigned to the particular end-user devicesby the node.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein each accesspoint of the plurality of access points wirelessly sharessatellite-based coordinates of a current geographic location of theaccess point with the remaining access points of the plurality of accesspoints.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein wirelesscommunication between the plurality of access points and the pluralityof end-user devices uses a first radio frequency channel and a firstcommunication protocol, and wireless communication between the firstaccess point and the set of access points uses a second radio frequencychannel and a second communication protocol.
 10. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of codesections, where each code section comprises a plurality of instructionsexecutable by one or more processors to cause the one or more processorsto perform a method of operating a first access point of a plurality ofaccess points of a network of moving things, each access point of theplurality of access points comprising at least one radio frequency (RF)interface enabling wireless mobile communication by a plurality ofend-user devices with one another and with remote resources accessibleto the network of moving things, the steps of the method comprising:broadcasting a network identifier using the at least one RF interface ofthe first access point, the network identifier representing a region ofwireless network access supported by the first access point forcommunication with the plurality of end-user devices, the first accesspoint being at a geographic location having satellite-based coordinatesknown to the first access point; establishing a wireless connectionconfigured for communication of first end-user data by a first end-userdevice of the plurality of end-user devices, via the at least one RFinterface of the first access point; determining, by the first accesspoint, whether a quality of wireless communication between the at leastone RF interface and the first end-user device is below a certainquality threshold; and if the quality of wireless communication betweenthe at least one RF interface and the first end-user device isdetermined to be below the certain quality threshold causing evaluation,by a set of access points of the plurality of access points that arewithin a certain distance range of the first access point, of a qualityof wireless communication of the end-user device with each access pointof the set of access points, by wirelessly broadcasting informationcomprising the satellite-based coordinates of the first access point tothe plurality of access points, processing responses received fromrespective access points of the set of access points in response to thebroadcast information, each received response comprising a measurementof a quality of a signal received by the respective access point fromthe end-user device, selecting one particular access point from the setof access points, based upon received responses to the broadcastinformation, transmitting, to the particular access point, anotification requesting the particular access point to begincommunication of the first end-user data with the first end-user device,and ending, by the first access point, communication of the firstend-user data with the first end-user device.
 11. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the plurality ofaccess points comprises access points that are each at a respectivefixed geographic location having satellite-based coordinates known tothe respective access point, and access points installed in vehiclesthat are mobile and at a respective current geographic location havingsatellite-based coordinates known to the respective access point. 12.The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 10,wherein the network identifier is the same for all access points in thenetwork of moving things.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium according to claim 10, wherein the network identifier is uniqueto each end-user device being served by the network of moving things.14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 10,wherein the network identifier comprises a Basic Service Set Identifier(BSSID) of an IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, or IEEE 802.11acprotocol.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according toclaim 10, wherein the network identifier is transferred to theparticular access point when the broadcast of information is sent to theparticular access point by the first access point.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein anetwork address that comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address isassigned to the end-user device by a node of the network of movingthings that routes end-user data for a particular end-user deviceaccording to the IP address assigned to the particular end-user devicesby the node.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium accordingto claim 10, wherein each access point of the plurality of access pointswirelessly shares satellite-based coordinates of a current geographiclocation of the access point with the remaining access points of theplurality of access points.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium according to claim 10, wherein wireless communication between theplurality of access points and the plurality of end-user devices uses afirst radio frequency channel and a first communication protocol, andwireless communication between the first access point and the set ofaccess points uses a second radio frequency channel and a secondcommunication protocol.
 19. A system for an access point of a network ofmoving things comprising a plurality of access points, the systemcomprising: in a first access point of the plurality of access points,one or more processors operably coupled to at least one radio frequency(RF) interface enabling wireless mobile communication by a plurality ofend-user devices with one another and with remote resources accessibleto the network of moving things, the one or more processors operable to,at least: broadcast a network identifier using the at least one RFinterface of the first access point, the network identifier representinga region of wireless network access supported by the first access pointfor communication with the plurality of end-user devices, the firstaccess point being at a geographic location having satellite-basedcoordinates known to the first access point; establish a wirelessconnection configured for communication of first end-user data by afirst end-user device of the plurality of end-user devices, via the atleast one RF interface of the first access point; determine, by thefirst access point, whether a quality of wireless communication betweenthe at least one RF interface and the first end-user device is below acertain quality threshold; and if the quality of wireless communicationbetween the at least one RF interface and the first end-user device isdetermined to be below the certain quality threshold, cause evaluation,by a set of access points of the plurality of access points that arewithin a certain distance range of the first access point, of a qualityof wireless communication of the end-user device with each access pointof the set of access points, by wirelessly broadcasting informationcomprising the satellite-based coordinates of the first access point tothe plurality of access points, process responses received fromrespective access points of the set of access points in response to thebroadcast information, each received response comprising a measurementof a quality of a signal received by the respective access point fromthe end-user device, select one particular access point from the set ofaccess points, based upon received responses to the broadcastinformation, transmit, to the particular access point, a notificationrequesting the particular access point to begin communication of thefirst end-user data with the first end-user device, and end, by thefirst access point, communication of the first end-user data with thefirst end-user device.
 20. The system according to claim 19, wherein theplurality of access points comprises access points that are each at arespective fixed geographic location having satellite-based coordinatesknown to the respective access point, and access points installed invehicles that are mobile and at a respective current geographic locationhaving satellite-based coordinates known to the respective access point.21. The system according to claim 19, wherein the network identifier isthe same for all access points in the network of moving things.
 22. Thesystem according to claim 19, wherein the network identifier is uniqueto each end-user device being served by the network of moving things.23. The system according to claim 19, wherein the network identifiercomprises a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of an IEEE 802.11b,IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, or IEEE 802.11ac protocol.
 24. The systemaccording to claim 19, wherein the network identifier is transferred tothe particular access point when the broadcast of information is sent tothe particular access point by the first access point.
 25. The systemaccording to claim 19, wherein a network address that comprises anInternet Protocol (IP) address is assigned to the end-user device by anode of the network of moving things that routes end-user data for aparticular end-user device according to the IP address assigned to theparticular end-user devices by the node.
 26. The system according toclaim 19, wherein each access point of the plurality of access pointswirelessly shares satellite-based coordinates of a current geographiclocation of the access point with the remaining access points of theplurality of access points.
 27. The system according to claim 19,wherein wireless communication between the plurality of access pointsand the plurality of end-user devices uses a first radio frequencychannel and a first communication protocol, and wireless communicationbetween the first access point and the set of access points uses asecond radio frequency channel and a second communication protocol.